Michella Perez
San Angelo,TX
Summary
Legal support professional with 29 years of experience working in government legal offices and supporting attorneys, courts, and case operations. Experienced in managing case files, tracking deadlines, coordinating with courts and law enforcement, and ensuring legal documents are completed and filed on time. Skilled at handling high-volume workloads, resolving issues, communicating with multiple parties, and keeping cases moving within required dealines.
Overview
31
31
years of professional experience
Work History
Court Administrator (Part-Time)
Tom Green County Court At Law No. 2
San Angelo, TX
02.2024 - 10.2024
- Coordinated judicial calendars to facilitate timely case management. ensuring timely disposition of cases.
- Managed county court-at-law hearing calendars and docket notices.
- Handled courtroom paperwork using county court administrative procedures.
- Maintained accurate court database and filing systems to support efficient record-keeping.
- Responded to inquiries from public regarding court processes and procedures.
- Supported public with court questions, forms, and scheduling requests.
- Developed and implemented court policies and procedures.
- Compiled and analyzed statistical data on case outcomes for quarterly reports, aiding in informed decision-making.
- Prepared reports on court activities and cases.
- Coordinated with courthouse departments to streamline processing of legal matters and enhance operational efficiency.
Legal Assistant
Texas Department of Family Protective Services
San Angelo, Texas
06.2012 - 04.2022
- Managed high-volume litigation support workflows for complex child welfare cases, executing all legal administrative actions within the guidelines of the Texas Family Code.
- Drafted, reviewed, and finalized critical legal documents, including petitions, motions, court orders, service of process, and subpoenas.
- Coordinated and verified service of process, acting as the primary point of contact between Department attorneys, judges, caseworkers, and process servers to guarantee zero gaps in legal timelines.
- Tracked strict statutory deadlines and agency SLAs to facilitate, expedite, and schedule cases seamlessly for emergency hearings and final trials.
- Maintained 100% compliance with information security, confidentiality, and protected data integrity protocols while managing high-volume records in state legal repositories.
- Executed seamless electronic documents submission via eFile Texas, managing the secure upload of high-volume petitions, motions, and orders while actively monitoring clerk approval/rejections to prevent court delays.
Child Support Officer
Texas Attorney General's Office
San Angelo, Texas
05.1993 - 06.2012
- Owned the end-to-end case lifecycle for a high-volume job queue of federal Title IV-D child support cases, driving them efficiently from intake through enforcement.
- Conducted complex legal investigation utilizing the TXCS mainframe database and specialized digital intelligence tools to locate non-custodial parents, verify employment, and assess assets.
- Proactively tracked and followed up on personal service attempts, collaborating closely with constables, county sheriffs, and private process servers to monitor field delivery status and expedite high-priority hand deliveries.
- Reviewed completed Returns of Service for accuracy before eFiling with the court clerk, ensuring all personal service documentation strictly conformed to jurisdictional requirements to eliminate case delays.
- Served as the designated office Ombudsman, managing resolution of high-priority customer complaints, executive inquiries, and escalated legal issues.
- Successfully enforced a strict multi-tiered SLA queue, resolving complex grievances within mandatory 3-day (legislative inquiries) and 10-day standard timeframes while maintaining 100% compliance.
Education
Executive Secretary With Legal Specialties Certificate -
Executive Secretarial School
Dallas, TX11-1992
Skills
- SLA & Performance Tracking (Mandated Turnaround Times, Statutory Deadlines, Compliance Management)
- Litigation Support (High Volume Dispatch, Nationwide & International Service of Process, External Coordination with Process Servers)
- Legal document preparation (Subpoenas, Citations, Petitions, Motions, Affidavits of Service)
- Case Management & CMS (High-Volume Job Queues, ECM, Data Integrity and Security
- Service of Process Verification (Personal Service Follow-up &Verification, Subpoena Enforcement, Constable & Sheriff Coordination, Diligent Search Affidavits, Return of Service)
- Professional Communications (Internal and External Communication, Court Staff Collaboration)
- Ombudsman Complaint Resolution (High-Priority Customer Relations, Root Cause Analysis and Fast-Track Problem Solving)
Timeline
Court Administrator (Part-Time)
Tom Green County Court At Law No. 2
02.2024 - 10.2024
Legal Assistant
Texas Department of Family Protective Services
06.2012 - 04.2022
Child Support Officer
Texas Attorney General's Office
05.1993 - 06.2012
Executive Secretary With Legal Specialties Certificate -
Executive Secretarial School