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Paralegal California
Qualifications and Experience
Qualified paralegal per California Business & Professional Code ยง6450(a)(3).
Experienced case researcher using LexisNexis, FindLaw, and other tools.
Experienced Internet and legal records researcher for county Superior Courts and Federal Courts (has PACER account).
Experienced writing draft motions and other legal filings for attorney review.
Experienced with evidentiary technical issues such as computer forensic practices, computer evidence spoilation, and computer evidence admissibility.
Experienced with case management and presentation software, computer networking, database management, legal website development, and email systems.
No AI tools are used unless explicitly requested by the attorney.
Case Success Stories
Civil Case
The plaintiff, a woman in Northern California, had an unsuccessful breast augmentation procedure by an unlicensed physician who operated out of a beauty supply store. The plaintiff subsequently sued the unlicensed physician, the beauty supply store, and the manufacturer of the breast implants.
The manufacturer filed a motion for summary judgment on the grounds they were not liable for the botched operation by a third party. The plaintiff’s attorney asked the paralegal to review the entire case file and research the liability question.
A initiating party can be liable for the actions of a third party or subcontractor when the initiated action is negligent, inherently dangerous, or regulated by law. For example, a building owner who hires a subcontractor to demolish a structure with asbestos has a duty to hire a qualified hazardous materials subcontractor.
The paralegal’s research found that the FDA classifies an implant as a Class III medical device because implants are inherently dangerous and therefore the outcomes of all implant procedures must be tracked and reported to the FDA.
The paralegal’s research also found that the manufacturer knowingly sold the implants to a beauty supply store and the sales agreement did not incorporate any of the FDA requirements
The paralegal prepared a draft opposition to the motion for summary judgment, which plaintiff’s attorney carefully reviewed and modified before filing and serving.
After the manufacturer’s motion for summary judgment was denied, the plaintiff and manufacturer settled the case for a substantial amount.
Criminal Case
A college professor was accused by the University of possessing child pornography on his office computer. The campus police investigated the case and forwarded their file to the county district attorney’s office. The professor was immediately suspended with pay and told to stay away from the campus.
The defense attorney requested the paralegal to review the case file and informed the paralegal that the professor has recently won an administrative discrimination action again the University for a promotion denial.
The paralegal’s research found that the professor’s employment agreement gave him privacy rights to his work computer since many professors write academic articles and non-published work is considered the property of the professor. Therefore, the search of the professor’s work computer by the campus police required a court ordered search warrant with a proper statement of probable cause. Several potentially illegal images were found on the work computer.
Although the campus police did obtain a search warrant, the attached statement of probably cause was legally insufficient, basically stating only that the work computer was going to be searched.
A second search was conducted by the campus police at the professor’s home, where no potentially illegal images were found.
The paralegal’s research uncovered that it is the written policy of the University IT department that all work computers be secured with user names and passwords. However, after the professor won the administration discrimination action, the IT department removed the username and password security on the professor’s work computer while all other faculty maintained their user names and passwords.
The paralegal’s research also uncovered that construction in the professor’s office building has been ongoing for several months, and that no records were kept of who was in the building and who had keys to the professor’s office with the unsecured work computer.
The defense attorney then scheduled an in-person meeting with the assistant district attorney who was assigned to review the campus police case file. Based upon the lack of any admissible evidence, plus the other irregularities in the case, the district attorney’s office declined to file charges.
In a subsequent civil proceeding the University agreed to reinstate the professor’s employment status, full salary, health benefits, and retirement benefits until his retirement date. The University and the the professor also agreed that the professor would not be required to be perform any work in the future.
Independent Contractor
Work is typically performed as an independent contractor on a 1099 basis at my location in California.
Arrangements can be made for work to be performed at the attorney’s location for trial preparation and trial assistance.
Rate is $95/hour.
Contact Information
Call or text (661) 281-0123.