Michelle Bushée Email & Phone Number

Greater Pittsburgh Area

Greater Pittsburgh Area

• Managed cases from initial client consultation through case conclusion;• Drafted, reviewed and revised pleadings related to involuntary termination of parental rights and adoptions, including Petitions for Involuntary Termination of Parental Rights, Petitions for Adoption, Reports of Intermediary, Reports of Intention to Adopt, and Homestudy Reports;• Researched and drafted memoranda on issues relevant to adoption, juvenile dependency law and procedure;• Met with caseworkers and families to gather relevant case information and explain procedure and outcomes;• Drafted and filed pleadings with strict adherence to deadlines;• Developed and updated forms in compliance with relevant law and procedural requirements;• Worked closely with various agencies in and outside of Allegheny County on individual cases regarding termination of parental rights and adoptions;• Recruited, guided and instructed volunteer attorneys for hearings and trials, including reviewing case files, gathering documents from CYF regional offices, creating chronologies of case, preparing exhibits, scheduling witnesses, reviewing testimony scripts with attorneys; • Attended and assisted with hearings and trials;• Maintained state database for all cases;• Negotiated, drafted, and reviewed Act 101 post-adoption contracts and pleadings between birth families and adoptive families;• Notarized all documents for the Adoption Legal Services Project, Inc;• Procured in-kind gifts for National Adoption Day in Allegheny County;• Worked independently, requiring minimal oversight from supervisors.

Butler County, Pa

• Provided legal advocacy in Butler County for clients seeking to obtain Protection From Abuse orders; • Worked with in-house counsel and multiple local magistrates’ offices;• Provided counseling to victims of sexual assault and other violent crimes; • Advised women’s shelter residents on life skills, job skills and parenting.• Procured in-kind gifts and fund-raising efforts to support the mission of the shelter.

Master Paralegal Certificate, Law, Lambda Epsilon Chi

Activities and Societies: Lambda Epsilon Chi - National Honor Society for Paralegals

Ba, Psychology, Cum Laude

Legal Studies

Education record