● Draft liability evaluations and coverage opinions for insurance carriers and third party administrators● Research, brief, and argue motions in Chancery, Law, and Civil Divisions of State and Federal courts● Prepare witnesses for discovery and evidence depositions● Take and defend fact and expert witness depositions related to motor vehicle, construction, premises liability, medical malpractice, subrogation, wrongful death, and duty to defend● Prepare briefs, responses, and replies for presentation in 1st and 16th District Appellate Courts● Initiate and respond to discovery, as well as review and synthesize written and oral discovery for case assessment, privilege, relevant/admissible evidence, and impeachment● Participate in pre-trial conferences and private mediations; draft and negotiate settlement agreements● Continue legal education through attendance at CLE and reading bar association publications to stay abreast of newly reported cases and innovations in the legal field● Attend case management and motion calls in State and Federal Court● Delegate and manage work of support staff, verifying work for accuracy and compliance with standards● Sit second chair at trial, draft and negotiate jury instructions, and draft and argue motions in limine

• Assisted Senior Counsel and Risk Manager in representing the Chicago Park District in the Municipal and Law Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County.• Drafted and argued motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment on various areas of law including tort immunity, premises liability, and proximate cause.• Conducted research for Deputy Counsel of the Law Department.• Propounded and responded to discovery requests, including interviews with relevant staff and contractors.• Lead site investigations and interviews relevant to pending litigation.

• Represented the City of Chicago and its employees in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Administrative Review of City of Chicago’s Department of Administrative Hearings, and Mandatory Arbitration.• Worked as a team member by covering other court calls, motions, and depositions and by contributing to litigation team-meetings• Initiated and responded to discovery including depositions, interrogatories, and production requests• Drafted and argued pre-trial motions to the Circuit Court of Cook County, Municipal Division

• Drafted, edited, and revised Determinations of Cause/No Cause and Final Investigative Reports on complaints of housing discrimination pursuant to the Fair Housing Act and Amendments• Assisted Equal Opportunity Specialists on all stages in investigations of housing discrimination• Contributed to weekly litigation team-meetings concerning charges of discrimination across Region V• Conducted complainant and respondent interviews, submitted data request letters for discovery and organized investigative plans for more than ten complaints of housing discrimination• Prepared presentations for legal team meetings

• Drafted, edited, and revised motions submitted to Illinois Circuit Court and Illinois Appellate Court• Assisted leading litigation attorney on more than five cases through various stages of trial and appeal• Contributed to litigation team-meetings• Completed legal research on topics including First Amendment and Park District policies, Chicago Commission on Human Relations prima facie cases, and electronic media under Illinois Rules of Evidence

• Wrote half of an appellate argument and compiled appellate record, including appendix• Wrote a press release for a suburban newspaper• Wrote Freedom of Information Act request to a school district FOIA officer• Completed legal research on numerous topics of FOIA and Open Meetings Act law in Illinois

• Managed requisition, review and approval of e-resource license agreements for the Libraries as the first E-Resource Licensing Specialist• Drafted and edited legal documents for contracts, procurement, and interoffice communications• Negotiated terms of use for 3-million dollar competitive bid for periodicals service• Contributed to negotiations and evaluations of 150-thousand dollar competitive bid for E-Resource management system• Created impromptu solutions for e-resource management database of vendors, contracts, and bids• Prepared presentations for team meetings and workshops• Analyzed budget and contract process data to ensure more efficient negotiations and payments

• Completed 27 months in a rural community teaching English to middle and high school Azerbaijani students • Wrote quarterly government reports assessing teaching experience, community projects, and goals• Hosted and organized Women’s Day for mother/daughter community members • Created legacy project for monthly themed history lessons on poetry, civil rights, and women’s rights• Overcame cross-cultural challenges through language development, cultural education, and community participation• Prepared presentations for volunteer workshops and formal volunteer meetings

Supervised the four computer labs after hours for the Digital Media Project in the English Department