Resume category: APPAREL

         OWNER/ATTORNEY AND MEDIATOR           Executive Profile     As an attorney for over 25 years, I have helped individuals and businesses all over Northern Ohio BUILD FUTURES, primarily in the areas of contracts, divorce mediation, elder care, employment, estates, family law, probate, property law, trusts, & wills.       Skill Highlights          Leadership/communication skills  Human resources  Negotiations expert      Skilled divorce mediator  Estate planning & taxes  Legal research & writing expert            Core Accomplishments     *     Awarded $100,000 from Gund and Cleveland Foundations to initiate Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court's Custody Mediation Program serving diverse, never married parents.       Professional Experience      Owner/Attorney and Mediator    January 2001   to   Current     Company Name   -   City  ,   State      Gather evidence to formulate defense or initiate legal actions, interview clients & witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case.  Analyze evidence and apply relevant laws, regulations, & precedents in order to reach conclusions.  Arrange and conduct depositions & other discovery to obtain information & evidence relevant to  claims.  Determine existence & amount of liability, according to evidence, laws, administrative & judicial precedents.  Evaluate information from documents such as claim applications, birth or death certificates, and physician or employer records.  Interview claimants, agents, or witnesses to obtain information about disputed issues.  Research laws, regulations, policies, or precedent decisions to prepare for hearings.  Recommend acceptance or rejection of compromise settlement offers.  Gather and analyze research data, such as statutes, decisions, legal articles, codes, & documents.  Prepare legal briefs & opinions, and file appeals in state and federal courts of appeal.  Investigate facts & law of cases and search pertinent sources, such as public records, to determine causes of action, and prepare cases.  Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents.  Prepare documents and conduct transactions: Appraise and inventory real and personal property for estate planning and probate.  Draft legal documents: such as wills, deeds, mortgages, lease, purchase & settlement agreements.  Probate wills, represent and advise executors & administrators of estates.  Negotiate settlements of civil disputes.  Advise clients concerning business transactions, claims liability,  and various legal rights & obligations.          FOUNDING &  INITIAL DIRECTOR    March 1995   to   June 1996     Company Name   -   City  ,   State      Researched and submitted grant proposals to the Cleveland and Gund Foundations.  Developed forms and procedures to facilitate mediation process.  Recruited and selected initial applicants, conducted trainings, and evaluated results among mediators.  Conducted initial meetings with disputants to outline the mediation process, settled procedural matters such as fees, and determined details such as witness numbers or time requirements.  Conferred with disputants to clarify issues, identify underlying concerns, and develop an understanding of their respective needs and interests.  Used mediation techniques to facilitate communication between disputants, furthered parties' understanding of different perspectives, and guided parties toward mutual agreement.  Prepared Mediation Agreements for disputants to sign.          ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF LAW    March 1986   to   August 1988     Company Name   -   City  ,   State      ADVISED APPOINTING AUTHORITIES IN DEPARTMENTS OF PARKS, RECREATION & PROPERTIES; PUBLIC SERVICES & UTILITIES.  RECEIVED PROCLAMATION DECLARING JUNE 10, 1988, WENDY WILLS DAY, FOR LEGAL SERVICES RENDERED TO THE CITY OF CLEVELAND IN LITIGATION.  Gathered and analyzed research data, such as statutes, decisions, legal articles, codes,  & documents.  Prepared legal briefs and opinions, and filed appeals in state & federal courts of appeal.  Arranged & conducted depositions, requests for production of documents, & other discovery to obtain evidence relevant to claims & litigation.   6-76  TO 7-80	  MANAGER, CLEVELAND, OH   Promoted as Manager, Assistant Manager and Trainee at four (4) progressively larger ladies apparel department stores in Northeast Ohio.  Recruited, interviewed, selected, trained, supervised, corrected, & sometimes fired ladies department employees.  Responsible for receiving, human resources, merchandising, office procedures, operations, & sales in ladies apparel departments.          Manager, Assistant, Manager-in-Training    August 1976   to   August 1980     Company Name   -   City  ,   State            Education      J.D   :   Law, cum laud, rank 11th  ,   1983    Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleve. State Univ   -   City  ,   State      GPA:   cum laud, rank 11th%  Cleve.            diploma with Honors   :   College Prep  ,   1971    Normandy High School, rank 3rd   -   City  ,   State       cum laud in English    Cleveland State Univ., Cleve., OH.   *Over 100 hours mediation training, American Mediation Association  *Annual requirement of 12 hours Continuing Legal Education since 1984.         Publications     "Mediation:  An Idea Whose Time has Come."  Kirtland Business Rev., Lakeland Community College, Kirtland, OH.   "The Ethical Utilization of Paralegals in Ohio,"  Cleveland State Univ., 45 Cleve. State Law Rev. 711, 1997.       Skills     administrative, Assistant Manager, clarify, drafting legal documents, English, forms, grant proposals, human resources, inventory, law, Research & write briefs, opinions, & laws, LITIGATION, management, Mediation, conduct meetings, merchandising, office, operations, policies, real estate, receiving, sales, settlements, UTILITIES, articles