Stephen Silvestro
Daytona Beach,FL
Summary
Seasoned collaborator experienced in meeting needs, improving processes and exceeding requirements in team environments. Diligent worker with strong communication skills, capability to prioritize and organize tasks, and in-depth understanding of industry concepts. Paralegal with more than 20 years in civil, corporate, business and bankruptcy law providing high-quality documents, briefs and motions essential to winning cases.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
Work History
Lead Paralegal
Self Help Clinic
Daytona Beach, United States
01.1996 - Current
- Prepared legal briefs, motions and pleadings.
- Assisted counsel in preparing answers, providing documentation and information for discovery request.
- Drafted responses for exceptions on foreclosure procedural errors.
- Aided 5 legal crews by researching records and documents for case details.
- Reduced project lags by coaching staff on best practices and company processes.
- Identified appropriate judicial decisions relevant to cases.
- Reviewed regulations regarding procedures and requirements for class action suits.
- Eliminated workflow downtime 30% by restructuring and maintaining client billing and case records.
- Adhered to privacy laws to avert possible information breaches and protect client data.
- Reviewed contracts and reported findings to support legal team in development of breach of contract defenses.
- Conferred with clients and other involved parties to gather and track case information.
- Evaluated domestic relations law, property law and bankruptcy.
- Maintained ongoing communication with opposing parties from discovery to trial phase to facilitate expeditious litigation.
- Directed and coordinated service of subpoenas and scheduling of depositions for several legal professionals.
- Communicated with outside vendors on behalf of attorneys and legal departments.
- Analyzed evidence gathering and presentation, client counseling, and jury selection methods processes for civil litigation.
- Collected, drafted and maintained resources to provide comprehensive materials accessible to all firm lawyers.
- Investigated facts and laws to determine causes of action and to prepare cases.
- Managed billable hour tracking, payroll, client invoicing and schedules for 1-attorney office.
- Created and implemented policies, work flow processes and work assignments.
- Assessed cases for probable outcomes by researching black letter law and other legal authority, comparing fact patterns to those of precedential cases.
- Mitigated legal team's workload by reviewing and evaluating legal documents, discovery materials and contracts.
- Trained and managed 7 employees in best practices and protocols to realize maximum productivity.
Education
J.D. -
Florida Coastal School of Law
Jacksonville, FL08.1998
Skills
- Conflict Resolution
- Deposition Briefings
- Complex Problem Solving
- Relationship Building
- Critical Thinking
- Case Summaries
- Decision Making
- Task Prioritization
- Team Building
- Administrative Support
- Quality Control
- Court Document Filing
- Civil Law
- Billing Statements
- Presentations and Public Speaking
Timeline
Lead Paralegal
Self Help Clinic
01.1996 - Current
J.D. -
Florida Coastal School of Law