Melanie S. Berks Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

Chicago, Illinois, United States

• Advocate for the City of Chicago's legislative interests before the Illinois General Assembly, ensuring alignment with municipal priorities and the City’s strategic objectives.• Conduct comprehensive analyses of legislative bills to assess their potential impact on various City of Chicago departments, providing actionable insights and recommendations.• Maintain tracking of applicable bills and amendments throughout the legislative process, coordinating with City departments to ensure timely responses and strategic alignment. Monitor assigned House and Senate committees, delivering timely and detailed reports to City stakeholders on legislative developments and committee activities.• Engage in strategic negotiations with elected officials, legislative staff, and key stakeholders to advocate for the merits of proposed legislation benefiting the City of Chicago.• Liaise with City of Chicago departments on state legislative and appropriations matters, including funding opportunities and policy changes, to ensure informed decision-making and alignment with all city programs.

Chicago, Il

• Drafted hearing-level decisions and rendered advice and assistance in post-hearing developments on behalf of Administrative Law Judges throughout the country• Advised and assisted Administrative Law Judges on post-hearing actions and compliance with Social Security Administration's policies• Conducted pre-hearing conferences to prepare unrepresented claimants for administrative hearings, including sourcing medical and educational records, and advising of rights to representation and due process• Planned, organized, and developed training materials that met specific needs for new hire classes• Conceptualized and implemented a training program, educating new employees on the process of deciding a disability claim, including pertinent federal law and internal processes that govern claims, and provided additional training on proper judge instructions for a draft and how to create a proper decisional draft outline; handled presentations live and on-line

Chicago, Il

• Assist clients in various matters, including: Illinois driver's license reinstatement, mortgage foreclosure, small business issues/intellectual property concerns, and family law matters

Greater Chicago Area

• Analyzed documents for relevance, privilege, confidential matters and applicable issues for subpoena responses for a large automobile manufacturer client

Chicago, Il

• Counseled customers and provided legal information at the Cook County Elder Justice Center inthe areas of housing, employment, and consumer law, making referrals as needed• Observed domestic violence and domestic relations proceedings• Prepared memorandum on judicial impartiality and therapeutic jurisprudence, analyzing the ABA Model Code and various states' problem-solving courts• Implemented seminars and compiled and created training materials on various Elder Law topics targeting the general public and law externs for the Cook County Elder Justice Center• Prepared memorandum on Illinois statutes affecting the elderly, including: the Adult Protective Services Act, the Illinois Domestic Violence Act, and the Illinois Power of Attorney Act• Assisted in the drafting and editing of the ELMR Judicial Benchcard, including summaries of relevant Illinois statutes and case law pertaining to criminal elder abuse and financial exploitation issues• Composed memorandum on the elder law courts of the Jing’an District Court of China

Greater Chicago Area

• Organized and facilitated a tutoring program at Legal Prep Charter Academy assisting students in Latin, Algebra, and English overseeing ten tutors• Assisted and coordinated undergraduate mock-trial competitions through the John Marshall Law School Office of Diversity around the country

Greater Chicago Area

• Liaison between Kaplan PMBR and school, informing students about Kaplan bar review services and distributes marketing materials• Assisted in organizing campus events to promote the Kaplan PMBR brand

Greater Chicago Area

• Researched and drafted memoranda regarding federal statutes and legal protection to free video-sharing websites• Conducted legal research and drafted memorandum on federal copyright protection for blog sites• Filed responses and motions at courthouse and provided general support to attorneys

Chicago, Il

• Drafted successful motion for judgment on the pleadings against a mortgage company altering foreclosure affidavits in violation of Residential Mortgage License Act of 1987 and IDFPR best practices• Prepared legal research and memoranda regarding the use and legality of electronic signatures in residential mortgage documents resulting in a statewide policy change for e-signature use• Mapped high foreclosure rate areas within Illinois to find correlations between high foreclosure rates and loan brokerage companies issuing loans in those areas• Compiled research and drafted memoranda for motions in civil suits against fraudulent lenders

Chicago, Il

• Provided direct, person-to-person, online help to persons in need of legal assistance• Formulated solutions for customers’ legal problems by providing necessary legal information and self-help resources applicable to their legal problems

Chicago, Il

• Assisted in the preparation of administrative law cases heard before hearing officers in regards to tuition fraud and expulsion hearing for Chicago Public School Students, including case analysis and determination if case referrals were actionable violations under the Student Code of Conduct. Worked closely with school administrators to amend information for expulsion hearings• Performed legal research on possible defenses in tuition fraud cases and federally-granted rights to expel students as well as other general research assigned by general counsels in the Law Department and other legal research projects for the Law Department

Bridgeview, Il

• Increased local corporate revenue by one hundred percent over the course of a two-month period and attained positive corporate growth for the office for the first time in eighteen months. Implemented innovative plans to improve customer service at the branch and increased our customer service score by twenty percent in a two-month period• Created a streamlined customer contact system that substantially improved customer relations and increased referrals from corporate accounts and current rental clientele by ten percent• Assistant in the training, scheduling, and supervision of four full-time management trainees and two part-time vehicle porters

Chicago, Il

• Collaborated on the facilitation and planning of department-wide meetings, programs, and training aimed at employee development and satisfaction. Presented new departmental restructuring on behalf of the head of the ITG department • Created brochure for BlueCross BlueShield BluePulse initiative, an employee satisfaction survey; wrote articles for the ITG department newsletter, and designed brochures for external recruiting on behalf of the company. Designed and launched new logo for the ITG internship program on behalf of the director of the internship program

Champaign, Il

• Designed database to house information on students participating in the University's Study Abroad program which made student information was made easier and more efficient to access• Facilitated orientation and pre-departure meetings for students in the program. Assisted and organized marketing efforts on behalf of the Study Abroad office to promote more student participation in the program

Chicago, Il

• Assisted in data entry and inter-office documentation. Organized case files and synthesized information for attorneys at firm. Participated in certified mailing marketing effort on behalf of the government law department• Compiled reports, affidavits and statements for attorneys in preparation for trial

Juris Doctor, Law

Activities and Societies: American Bar Association, Black Law Students Association, Black Women Lawyers' Association, Chicago Bar.

Master Of Laws (Ll.M.), Trial Advocacy

Master Of Laws (Ll.M.), Intellectual Property Law

Activities and Societies: Black Law Students AssociationInternational coursework in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam (December 2012)

B.A, Economics/Communications

Activities and Societies: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. - Gamma Chapter, Finance Club, Illini Union Board Homecoming Committee, NABA.

High School Diploma, Honors Academic Program

Activities and Societies: Computer Physics, Homecoming Court, Key Club, Marching Band, National Honors Society, Pom-Pon Team, Who's Who.