Vanessa Hargrow

5265 Golf Valley Way

Stone Mountain, GA 30088

Cell:

SUMMARY

23 years legal experience and 10 years stenographer secretarial experience. Poised, proficient, and resourceful with excellent grammar, shorthand, transcription, document management, proofreading, and client relationship management skills. Experienced and knowledgeable in the most widely used office software and technology.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

HUNTON & WILLIAMS LLP, Atlanta, GA2007 – 2008

Professional Assistant – Litigation & Securities

  • Performed administrative, secretarial, & paralegal duties for a partner, associate and 2 paralegals in complex litigation & securities matters, firm management matters, and professional organization work.
  • Managed correspondence, email & voice mail communications, case files, EMF filings, document files and client relationships; prepare legal pleadings in accordance with and review for compliance with federal and state court rules of procedure.
  • Handled court filings through e-briefs, e-filings, and electronic filing systems with state and federal courts.

METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, Long Island City, NY 2006 – 2007

Senior Assistant to Senior Chief Counsel of Litigation

  • Assisted the Senior Chief Counsel of Litigation in the daily operations of the Litigation section of Legal Affairs relieving the Senior Chief of clerical & administrative tasks.
  • Used a high degree of discretion and judgment within assigned limits of authority.
  • Daily interaction with General Counsel and his staff to assist with scheduling, financial reports, assist in flow of most incoming litigation paperwork & confidential correspondence. * Frequent interaction with the CEO/COO’s office.
  • Acted as coordinator in overseeing activities of litigation section for over 80 employees.

SUTHERLAND ASBILL & BRENNAN LLP, Atlanta, GA1996 – 2006 &

1988 – 1994

Legal Secretary & Administrative Assistant - Litigation

  • Performed administrative, secretarial, & paralegal duties for a senior partner and a counsel in complex litigation matters, executive firm management matters, and nonprofit and professional organization work.
  • Directly reported to senior partner who was on the Executive and Partner Compensation Committees for 4-5 years.
  • Daily interaction with managing partner’s office.
  • Handled court filings through e-briefs, e-filings, and electronic filing systems with state and federal courts.
  • Managed correspondence, email and voice mail communications, case files, document files, and client relationships; prepared legal pleadings in accordance with and review for compliance with federal and state court rules of procedure, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
  • Coordinated calendars and travel schedules; managed reimbursements; served as a meeting and special events planner.
  • Supported work for the ABA Standing Committee on Federal Judiciary, Atlanta-Fulton County Development Authority; the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, the Supreme Court of Georgia Bar Examiners, State Bar of Georgia Appellate Committee, and other professional and non-profit organizations.
  • Served the firm in associated roles as needed, representative examples:

Vanessa HargrowPage Two

SUTHERLAND ASBILL & BRENNAN LLP (Continued)

Floor Coordinator2001 – 2002

  • Managed assignment of overflow work requirements to other secretaries and ensured that secretarial needs of all attorneys on floor were met in a timely way;

Litigation Group Intranet Site Manager2003 – 2005

  • Responsible for creating and updating regularly the litigation pages on the firm’s intranet;

Litigation Technology Committee2003 – 2005

  • Served as a member of this committee to recommend and support the expansion of the firm’s use of litigation-focused technologies, including e-briefs, e-filings, and electronic filing systems with the courts.

ST. JOSEPH ORPHANAGE - ACT CASE MANAGEMENT, Cincinnati, OH 1995 – 1996

Intake/Pre-Screening Assistant

HARMON, DAVIS & ASSOCIATES, Cincinnati, OH 1995

Legal Secretary - Litigation Criminal Division

  • Heavy word processing (Microsoft Word) for the firm, including criminal, domestic relations and personal injury documents and forms.

PAUL, HASTINGS, JANOFSKY & WALKER, Atlanta, GA1994 – 1995

Legal Secretary - Business Law Department

  • Various office duties for a partner and an associate.
  • Assisted them in the representation of clients. Heavy administrative duties.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

Includes six years as an administrative assistant with Procter & Gamble headquarters in Ohio.

SKILLS

Typing 80 WPM, Shorthand 80 WPM, Microsoft Word, Excel, Client Workrooms, Word Perfect, PowerPoint, Outlook, & telephone messaging systems. Document management systems include: iManage and Lotus Notes.

EDUCATION

Two year course Stenographer-Secretarial vocational studies

Intense studies in shorthand and office procedures

AWARDS

MetLife WOW Award for creating MetLife Litigation Administrative How-To Binder (first MetLife Associate to win this award after less than one-year of employment)

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta’s Troop Leader for Outreach Development Program

United Way 2000 Loaned Executive Program First Law Firm Participant

United Way’s 1997 Top 10 Law Firm in Leadership Giving & Per Capita Giving