MONICA CATHERINE MORRIS

Litigqtion Specialist contacting for the torts law group with the department of Veterans affairs. Providing support to the 3 GS-15 litigation attorneys. Including to but not limited to litigation intake, notifying the Dept. of Justice Civil Chief and Assistant US Attorneys of litigation. Manage litigation holds, case research, edit and write on briefs to the White House. Provide confidential support on high profile cases. Review electronic evidence via Case Point obtained via litigation holds. Participate in meetings with the Department of Justice regarding evidence preservation, case status updates and best practices. Manage all litigation dismissals and case close out including notifying risk managers of case status. Manage intake on administrative tort claims for medical malpractice, personal injury, property damage and MPECCA claims filed under the FTCA.

• I provided litigation and administrative support to the Office of the General Counsel (OGC), Animal Protection Litigation Group (APL) and Trust and Estates. My daily workload included but was not limited to the following: Managing legal compliance for the organization, handling state registration renewals and overseeing registered agent filings Manage trademark registration and renewal processes, manage/track outside counsel billing and pro-bono hours/ review, prepare, and submit attorney bills and vendor invoices for payment, manage litigation holds (OGC), manage Westlaw relationship & law library (OGC & APL), maintain legal filing systems and manage off-site case storage (OGC & APL), conduct basic factual, legal, and procedural research in support of existing litigation and other legal projects, drafted basic motions and proposed orders for attorney review; copy-edit and cite check litigation pleadings (APL), draft and format simple agreements and similar documents (e.g., grant agreements; policies; simple contracts for attorney review; provide initial review of staff-prepared drafts of agreement or third-party proposed agreements to highlight areas requiring attorney review (OGC), assemble documents for litigation, presentation to government agencies, other attorneys' offices, maintain copy shop relationship—coordinate traffic between APL and copy shops; assist with filing documents for litigation, regulatory actions, and other matters (APL & OGC).

• In this role I fulfilled all aspects of civil litigation support for (3) senior-level domestic relations attorneys, (1) senior-level real estate attorney and (2) associates. My scope of work included but was not limited to the following: Intake, performing conflict checks, opening new client matters, trial prep, discovery management, debt collection, billing, calendaring, e-filing, drafting of correspondence and pleadings, document review, scheduling depositions and mediations, adhering to court procedures, notarizing documents, preparing trial and discovery binders, managing case closing procedures, and maintaining client records in the document management system. Assisted in developing a implementing a document naming convention.

• Provided litigation/administrative support to (4) partners including the managing partner and (2) associates. I prepared personal expense reports, input attorney billable hours, drafted engagement letters and new business memorandum, filed briefs with the appellate court, submitted FOIA requests, e-filed documents with various courts, reviewed client invoices for billing accuracy, maintained attorney's calendars and schedules, performed relative case research, and set up conference rooms for training and meetings. Assisted managing attorney with maintaining adjunct professor duties.

• Provided substantive civil litigation and legal support to the Domestic Relations Unit, Managing Attorney and (4) staff attorneys. Drafted client correspondence, including emails, memorandum, closing, and instructional letters, drafted pleadings, motions, discovery, and counterclaims. Prepared case trial exhibits obtained police reports, medical records, and other supporting evidence, e-filing, conducted client interview and initial intake, maintained attorney calendars, interviewed, trained, and supervised Paralegal and Law Student Interns. Managed monthly family law clinic for the Fulton County Family Law Court. Performed audits on end-of-year cases and prepared them for archives. Drafted subpoenas and arranged for the service of process, attended meetings and trainings related to domestic violence and victims’ rights.