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Work Background
Collins Family & Elder Law GroupChief Operating Officer
Jul. 2022Charlotte, North Carolina, United States•Promoted from within the organization to a key member of the Executive Committee to effectuate business objectives.
•Established appropriate organizational structure and processes and implemented a tailored budget and expense controls which led to a 104.8% growth, more than doubling the firm’s revenue and net income over a 3 year period.
•Expanded firm's footprint from 8 to 15 locations over 3 years, including growth in South Carolina and 12 lateral attorney hires. Advised on expansion strategy and led transition from a Charlotte-area to a regional law firm. Awards earned include 2024 South Carolina State's Best Award, Best of the Best Charlotte 2023, and Forbes & Fortune Leaders in Law.
•Facilitated leadership transitions for Chief, Partner, Of Counsel, and executive staff roles, including job and compensation design, to improve resource allocation and exceed financial targets.
•Prepared and implemented appropriate compensation packages, bonus structures to increase billable hour requirements for greater profitability ratios at all attorney levels; standardized paralegal billing for profitability and consistency.
•Formulated and implemented disaster recovery documentation for business continuity.
•Terminated a failing case management implementation project, engaged in extensive project management and fact finding with vendor, and secured a refund after reevaluation.
•Oversaw successful daily operations, including business planning, budgeting, policy, compliance, attorney advancement program requirements and metrics, evaluations and compensation, and supervision of staff leadership including Marketing, HR/Director of Administration, Firm Systems Manager/IT, Paralegal Coordinator.
•Approved alternative fee arrangements and delivered financial metrics to Attorneys in end-of-year meetings.
•Acted as the face of Firm leadership by creating a connected culture through virtual collaboration, in-person site visits.
Collins Family Law GroupDirector Of Administration
Sep. 2021 - Jul. 2022Charlotte, North Carolina, United States•Managed Firm's administrative operations; coordinated with C-Suite on objectives and growth.
•Developed onboarding/offboarding process to enhance ramp-up and transition efficiency and protect firm data.
•Designed and launched an electronic employee handbook outlining policies, including time off, leaves of absence, and parental leave to satisfy compliance requirements and to create consistency and transparency for employees.
•Designed, reviewed, and improved the Firm's business systems across all departments through an initial audit; maintained and cataloged 60+ standard operating procedures new and existing.
•Led rebranding efforts to incorporate the elder law practice group into a combined business for a consistent experience.
•Managed marketing, intake, client relations & experience, finance/accounting, billing/collections, facilities/vendors, HR, IT, fractional advisors, office/admin staff, and legal team metrics.
•Reduced costs via heightened efficiency/optimization and successful negotiation with vendors.
Nelson Mullins Riley & ScarboroughIntellectual Property Services Operations Manager
Feb. 2014 - Sep. 2021Boston, MA, Charlotte, NC•Promoted from within the Firm and led practice operations through a period of growth, from 13 up to 27 offices and over $75M in revenue, to rank the 68th highest-grossing law firm in the U.S. in 2020.
•Managed 101 employees across 5 departments, 2 teams, and 7 locations, with up to 20 direct reports and mentoring of department managers. Managed HR functions, including staffing proposals, hiring, development, performance reviews.
•Supervised technical project management, including two big-data software conversions, design of work process dashboards to quantify results, structural design, build, and rollout of Microsoft Teams, creation of a new business intake platform, and single-handed design and implementation of ticketing system via Microsoft PowerAutomate to replace a shared mailbox.
•Chaired IP Procedures Committee to develop legal/operations best practices to mitigate risk, gain approval to implement.
•Streamlined efficiency of IP operations via systems/process changes based on evolving needs.
•Restructured a newly acquired department, addressing 1.5 years of backlogged work; built relationships to integrate into the practice group, manage performance, and improve workflow. •Performed financial analysis benchmarking of standard fees, billing, salaries, budgeting, cost management.
•Liaised with attorneys on proposals and deliverables; attended client meetings/events for portfolio management and operational purposes.
•Increased brand awareness as an external liaison for the IP practice via participation in patent law organizations and committees, business development at industry events.
Nelson MullinsIntellectual Property Specialist
Oct. 2011 - Feb. 2014Boston, MA•Managed marketing and legal education budgets for a team of 9 timekeepers; served as a liaison to disseminate relevant training and marketing opportunities; coordinated professional memberships and team meetings.
•Provided process training and IP education for new hires and summer interns, as well as training of existing team members on new firm procedures and IP law updates.
•Audited new document management system prior to implementation; suggested IP customizations and resolved launch issues; developed, conducted IP-specific training program.
•Analyzed legal accuracy and efficiency of existing IP procedures in order to develop new protocols and guidelines for attorneys and staff.
•Produced bi-weekly practice group newsletter outlining pertinent legal changes/intricacies.
•Conducted quality review of U.S. and foreign filings; audited transferred-in patent portfolios.
Broad InstituteBusiness Development Administrator
Jan. 2011 - Oct. 2011Cambridge, MA•Spearheaded Broad’s first online marketing initiatives, creating a website to market Broad technologies available and integrating technologies into recognized portals for licensing.
•Worked with Director of Strategic Alliances and Partnering to identify targets within Broad’s partner network or to identify a market for new alliances outside of current relationships.
•Served as the founding Program Manager of Broad Venture Mentoring Service in order to pair fledgling start-up companies associated with the Broad with mentors.
•Managed IP/Business Development financials; re-established procedures for cost control; paid 34 undetected outstanding legal bills accounting for $173,861.66 in patent fees.
•Implemented Broad’s first central email list for IP reporting; composed and disseminated a standard IP reporting policy to law firms and licensees/collaborators to streamline protocols.
•Developed Broad deadline docketing system: coded processes to automatically report to Licensing Officers via email.
•Liaised with NIH directors and Broad’s industrial partners to change Federal Funding reporting requirements due to the institute’s business model, researcher joint appointments.
Gomez, Acebo & Pombo, AbogadosIntellectual Property Specialist Intern
Jun. 2010 - Aug. 2010Madrid, Spain•Worked entirely in Spanish language to design a system to track a budding area of case law and create a tiered electronic database containing resources related to know-how/trade secrets/labor inventions for attorney and client education.
•Assembled files of model know-how protection agreements/clauses/checklists to recommend best practices. Compiled previous case law decisions regarding trade secrets.
•Translated email/formal legal documents from Spanish; revised English drafts for context/technical word choice and provided contextual English training to Spanish natives.
MIT Technology Licensing OfficeDocket & Government Compliance Assistant
Sep. 2007 - Jan. 2011Cambridge, MA•Maintained current docket by processing incoming correspondence, running monthly docket reports in CPi for the Technology Licensing Officers.
•Organized incoming file transfer for new in-house attorney, including ascertainment of case status/fees, phone calls and filings with USPTO, tracing of continuity, patent term adjustment, terminal disclaimer information.
•Streamlined TLO in-house law practice via IDS searches/submissions, recordation of assignments, draft revisions.
•Corresponded with, requested documentation, and handled transfers for over 30 law firms partnered with the TLO.
•Managed ad hoc requests from MIT licensees and PIs for portfolio summaries and audits of patent landscape.
•Confirmed government support clause legal wording in U.S. specifications using the PAIR database in order to elect title on the applications via iEdison; notified Patent Compliance Administrator of amendments needed.
•Sent patent documents and other info as requested to partner organizations and funding agencies.
•Created Confirmatory Licenses to send to inventors acknowledging any outside funding/government sponsorship. •Processed and digitalized incoming patent prosecution paperwork; notified law firms of issues requiring correction. •Archived and documented abandoned/expired intellectual property & prepared for shipment to an off-site facility.
•Audited licensing agreements: organized documentation/amendments; eliminated errors, omissions, duplicates.
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