PAMELA HAMILTON 5139 N. Williams Ave., Portland, OR 97217-2836

pamelahamilton@comcast.net • Cellular (425) 941-1155

SUMMARY Dynamic paralegal offering more than twelve years of progressively more responsible

experience in the areas of civil litigation, school district and insurance defense, personal injury,

attorney fee disputes, construction defect and collections, real estate and mortgage foreclosure,

mediation, and public disclosure laws seeking stimulating and inspiring management, paralegal

or executive assistant opportunity.

LEGAL EXPERIENCE

Law Offices of Melissa A. Huelsman, P.S. – 4/2013 to 12/2014

Paralegal: Employed full-time as a paralegal for sole practitioner handling everything from

initial intake, referrals to the Department of Commerce for foreclosure mediation,

correspondence and drafting initial pleadings relating to filing of lawsuits, discovery, motion

practice, and full trial preparation and appellate work with over 100 active cases. Daily working

knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, ECF, ECR, PACER, LINX, and superior, district, federal,

state and local civil rules. Superb client and opposing counsel relations as well as organizational,

written and speaking skills.

Patterson Buchanan Fobes & Leitch, Inc., P.S. – 1/2010 to 4/2013

Legal Assistant/Paralegal: Employed full-time as a hybrid proofing and drafting

correspondence and pleadings while coordinating litigation discovery organization and trial

preparation, calendaring, research, and light investigation and summarizing work. Daily email

and telephone contact with clients, attorneys and courts. Solid knowledge of superior, district,

federal, state and local civil rules, and ECF, ECR, PACER, ProLaw and Microsoft Office Suite

with some Summation and Trial Director experience. This position supports three attorneys with

over sixty cases combined, is fast-paced, and requires superior organization and prioritization

skills.

Michael R. Caryl, P.S., Seattle, Washington – 2/2008 to 11/2009

Legal Assistant/Paralegal: Employed full-time by sole practitioner specializing in attorney fees

dispute matters preparing correspondence and pleadings while coordinating heavy litigation

discovery organization and trial preparation, calendaring, researching laws, and light

investigation work. Daily email and telephone contact with clients, co-counsel, other attorneys

and courts, as well as training and managing file clerk. Strong knowledge of superior court and

state civil rules with some bankruptcy; solid ECF, ECR, PACER, and Microsoft Office Suite.

This position is demanding and fast-paced with daily court deadlines to meet, and a considerable

amount of coordinating assignments, assessing and prioritizing to meet client demands with

aplomb.

Williams Kastner, Seattle, Washington – 7/2007 to 12/2007

Legal Assistant: Worked as a Legal Assistant float preparing correspondence, pleadings and

transactional documents while coordinating scheduling and calendaring, indexing pleadings and

discovery, researching laws, gathering information through phone calls and on-line resources, as

well as booking extensive travel arrangements and speaking engagements for the firm’s then-

Managing Director. This position was fast-paced and required savvy business and professional

communication skills for the firm’s top members.

University of Washington, Seattle, Washington – 2/2007 to 7/2007

Contract Paralegal/Public Information Specialist: Worked in the University’s Public Records

and Open Public Meetings department processing public records requests. This involved daily

contact with the media, law firms and general public, answering correspondence, researching

public disclosure laws, gathering information from a variety of University departments,

organizing and Bates numbering larger requests for production, redacting legal exemptions,

meeting calendar deadlines, and brainstorming and implementing new ways to streamline this

system. This was a temporary, contract paralegal assignment to assist a growing department

reorganize and assess its long-term future needs. Completed HIPAA compliance and

Lexis/Nexis research training.

Minzel & Associates, Seattle, Washington – 10/2006 to 02/2007

Contract Paralegal: Assigned to a boutique litigation law firm (Corr Cronin) in downtown

Seattle as a full-time, contract paralegal working discovery in complex civil litigation (Hearst

Corporation and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer v. Seattle Times, et al.), personal injury (Ater, et

al. v. TriMet, et al.), asbestos work, wrongful employment discharge, contract dispute and

construction litigation case work.

Legal Reserves, Seattle, Washington – 11/1992 to 8/1993

Contract Paralegal: Worked as a contract paralegal for various law firms and the Children’s

Hospital Wills & Bequests Department. Performed paralegal duties including drafting

correspondence and pleadings, requesting and organizing discovery, summarizing depositions,

organizing trial notebooks, reviewing, assessing and updating donor files and creating and

maintaining database reports, as well as direct client contact collecting pledged donations.

Weinstein, Fischer & Riley, P.S., Seattle, Washington – 4/1991 to 10/1992

Paralegal & Credit Services Manager: Worked as a paralegal in the areas of construction

litigation, collections, bankruptcy, and civil litigation. Performed paralegal duties including

direct client communication, drafting correspondence, pleadings, and transactional documents,

filing liens and stop notices, reviewing bankruptcy petitions, assisting with case settlement

negotiations, and researched and advised on firm computer systems and software program

recommendations. Interviewed, trained and supervised the firm’s Creditor’s Rights paralegal

departments, and marketed the firm’s various legal services through regular industry group

membership and contacts.

Strasburg & Levy, P.S., Seattle, Washington – 3/1989 to 4/1991

Paralegal: Began as a legal secretary, then promoted to construction litigation paralegal;

interviewed and trained two others. Performed paralegal duties including direct client

communication, calendaring, drafting correspondence, pleadings, and transactional documents,

filing liens and stop notices, assisting with case settlement negotiations and collections,

researched and produced a firm reference notebook summarizing lien laws for several states.

BUSINESS EXPERIENCE

Costume Designer, Seattle, Washington – 2001 to 2012

Designed and sewed dance costumes for solos, duos, trios, and full classes. Met with

choreographer, listened to music, watched dances, sketched out designs and created costume

boards, shopped for fabrics and accessories, held fittings, sewed costumes, attended dance

competitions as backstage costume repair master, and produced award-winning costumes at local

and regional competitions.

Mille Fleurs, Kirkland & Sammamish, Washington – 1/1994 to 1/2004

Small Business Owner & Floral Designer: Opened, owned, marketed and operated a successful

floral design business contracting for weddings and events and teaching floral design seminars.

EDUCATION Edmonds Community College, Lynnwood, Washington – 2007 to be continued

Paralegal Certification & B.A. Degree: Attended American Bar Association approved Paralegal

Certification and B.A. Transfer Degree programs. Specific legal course work accomplished:

Intro to Law, Contracts, Legal Research, Real Estate Law, and Civil Procedure. GPA 3.81. Four

legal electives remaining before graduation; hope to resume at local college in Oregon.

Bellevue Community College, Bellevue, Washington - 2005

B.A. Transfer Degree: Earned credits toward bachelors degree with additional course work in

real estate law, appraisal, and music education.

Lake Washington Technical College, Kirkland, Washington - 1995

Certificate: Floral Designer & Shopkeeper

Washington State University, Pullman, Washington - 1984

Music Education & Performance: Earned credits toward Bachelor of Arts in Music Education

and Performance (French horn). Performed in various orchestras, chamber groups, brass

ensembles, quintets, quartets, and as a soloist.

VOLUNTEER

Gotta Dance, Redmond, Washington – 2001 to 2012

Backstage make-up, hair, and fast change assistant.

Women’s Funding Alliance, Seattle, Washington – 2008 to 2011

Annual Art of Dining and Amplify! fundraising event procurement, item packager and description

writer, registrar, auction runner, auction spotter, set up and tear down, auction closer, and

anything else they asked me to do!

Sunny Hills Elementary School, Sammamish, Washington – 2003 to 2005

Art Docent, reading tutor, math tutor, and classroom helper.

Girl Scouts Totem Council, Sammamish, Washington – 1998 to 2003

Leader of two troops and Regional Event Director.