Cheri M. Hamilton Email & Phone Number

Washington, Dc, Us

I serve as the in-house legal counsel to the Seventh Episcopal District of the CME Church denomination where I provide legal counsel to the Annual Conferences of the District which are comprised of over 145 churches in the eastern U.S., from South Carolina to Massachusetts.

• Offered in-house legal counsel to a client organization on legal matters to include property acquisition and distribution, contract law, employment law, and internal policy-related issues and increased revenue by 35%.• Analyzed job descriptions, eliminated redundant work, developed policy manuals as well as "best practice protocols," that increased efficiency, ownership of corporate goals and objectives, and eliminated staff turnover.• Added database-driven legal research library, realizing a 100% increase in internal/external communication efficiency.• Identified and mitigated legal risks of organizations concerning operations, liabilities, and business strategy and settled $600k+ during commercial real estate transactions between a religious entity and healthcare developer.

Baltimore, Maryland, Us

• Conducted and presided over hearings for the lower appeals unit of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation regarding unemployment insurance appeals.• Interviewed claimants, employees, employers and their representatives as well as agency designees to obtain pertinent facts or to resolve conflicting evidence regarding unemployment insurance claims.• Drafted and issued unemployment insurance benefits decisions in accordance with federal and departmental guidelines.

Washington, Dc, Us

• Drafted decisions in various appeals of Veterans’ disability claims on behalf of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals through research, review and analysis.• Consulted with internal stakeholders regarding the adjudication of cases and strict compliance with laws and regulations.• Reviewed and evaluated the credibility and probative value of medical and lay evidence in claims files.

Baltimore, Md, Us

• Maintained above-average case completion rate in a fast-paced and deadline-driven environment and solely managed a high-volume caseload of approximately 400 cases annually.• Oversaw identification of potential areas of compliance vulnerability and risk, and consequently developed corrective action plans to prevent similar situations in the future.• Guided peers and support staff on best practices for effective multi-tasking, prioritizing workloads, interpreting policies and regulations, and navigating internal systems to guarantee timely execution of firm deliverables, resulting in improved work productivity.• Improved quality performance by 44% by adhering to regulations and federal and state laws during the adjudication of disability cases and complex legal policy.• Coordinated with 10+ internal and external stakeholders to resolve issues and adjudicate cases, and eliminated extensive policy backlog within two months.

Annapolis, Maryland, Us

• Authored bench memoranda and judicial opinions that contained a thorough legal framework on behalf of the Judge regarding foreclosure, employment discrimination appeals, domestic relations, and criminal law, which supported the Judge's decisions. • Managed the daily docket, including scheduling of pre-trial conferences with three other attorneys and prepared confidential reports with a 100% degree of confidentiality.• Liaised between attorneys, law enforcement, court personnel, and judges and consequently employed strong teamwork skills to guarantee cohesiveness and successful completion of tasks.• Independently edited the Judge's opinions to guarantee 100% accuracy in content, grammar, and citation format.• Executed comprehensive legal research, drafted research memoranda outlining findings for the Judge's final approval, and made recommendations on multiple motions presented to the Court.

Chicago, Illinois, Us

• Prepared pleadings, pre-trial motions and trial notebooks; conducted research; drafted discovery documents; assisted on various litigation matters; completed various administrative tasks• Member of practice groups to include Intellectual Property litigation, General Litigation and Environmental Law

Doctor Of Law (Jd), Law

Ba, Africana Studies & History

Master Of Laws - Llm, Law & Entrepreneurship