Courtney L. Johnson
White Plains,MD
Summary
Versatile Senior Paralegal with background managing cases, coordinating documents and completing in-depth research to support work in various areas of law, to include litigation, contract, and regulatory. Strengths include verbal and written communication, multitasking and time management. Over 30+ years of experience working in military, federal government, private, public, and organizational environments.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Legal Administrative Specialist
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
12.2023 - Current
- Draft/Coordinate all settlement agreements in conjunction with coordinating USAO and OGC regarding all SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) temporary and permanent disqualification cases
- Draft responses to subpoenas, audits, investigations, Freedom of Information Act requests, and other requests for documents and information relating to the Agency’s litigation, programs, management, and operations
- Legal Administrative Specialist on all litigation matters surrounding. fraud for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) retailers.
- Draft litigation holds, litigation reports, and discovery requests for all cases.
- Work hand in hand with United States Attorneys Office for jurisdictional cases surrounding fraud and trafficking relative to the SNAP program.
Paralegal Specialist
Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA)
08.2022 - 12.2023
- Responsible for all research/administrative work surrounding litigation cases within FHFA
- Reports directly to the Deputy General Counsel for Litigation and supporting 6 attorneys
- Coordinated with contracted Law Office to work with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac regarding 2k + Homeowner Association legal notices for properties facing foreclosure in accordance with Nevada Law
- Assigned as OGC Records/Documents Manager
- Primary driver in the transition to full electronic records and identifying permanent records for those requiring staging and transfer to the archives center
- Also responsible for creation/upgrade of entire shared drive for easy access to work files and streamlined order of processing of files and disposition to National Archives
- Acted as Contracting Officer Representative (COR) for contracts within litigation division, managing 7 contracts totaling more than $1M +
Regulatory Paralegal Specialist
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
03.2020 - 08.2022
- Responsible for all research/administrative work surrounding pre-rule work, drafting, and post rule making
- Assigned to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) rule team
- Vigorously assisted in authoring a new rulemaking regarding Trafficking and credit reporting
- Sole paralegal responsible for all administrative and paralegal duties in conjunction with this ruling w/ grueling 6-month turnaround
- Spearheaded all proofreading, clearance, cite checking, etc.
- Reviewing incoming cases and determining disposition thru Salesforce for coordination/response
- Trained and worked with Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) to assist agency with responding to various questions/concerns from lender and consumers regarding HMDA
- Trained and worked with TILA-RESPA integrated disclosures (TRID) to assist agency with responding to various questions/concerns from lender and consumers regarding TILA-RESPA integrated disclosures (TRID)
- Review/Proofread 300+ comments for RMR reports that are briefed to executive level advisors relative to agency response to lender and consumer questions and concern
Policy Analyst and Outreach Specialist
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
08.2021 - 01.2022
- Spearheaded November Veterans and Military Families Month Lunch and Learn
- Coordinated with Department of Veterans Affairs to speak about programs available to veterans and servicemembers
- Instrumental in bridging agencies together for the common goal of taking care of our military veterans
- Coordinating/Cross-referencing with external stakeholders as to issues relating to veterans and military families and CFPB inclusion
- Worked with Housing Insecurity Campaign and other interagency teams to assist with issues affecting veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Reviewed 1k+ consumer complaints to identify those specifically dealing with rental issues affecting servicemembers and veterans in an effort to hone in on subsiding those issues to ensure veterans and servicemembers are not adversely affected by the housing situation due to COVID-19
Program Analyst
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
12.2019 - 03.2020
- Managed Federal Highway Administration Suspension and Debarment Program
- Drafted/Reviewed all documents relative to the suspension or debarment of contractors who fail to build/repair highways and bridges in accordance with federal law and funding requirements
- Prepared weekly reports to brief Chief, Suspension and Debarment Program, on all active cases and recommendations
- Cite checking and proofreading attorney products within the Suspension and Debarment Division
- Managed FOIA Appeals program for the Office of General Counsel (OGC) responsible for reviewing/responding to all FOIA appeal requests
Paralegal Specialist
Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA)
05.2019 - 12.2019
- Managed case files for ALJ; determines appropriate statutes, regulations and time limitations for hearings
- Independently prepared case settlement, dismissal, and pre/post hearing documents in response to motions/pleadings
- Managed and coordinated ALJ’s hearing, docketing, teleconference, and settlement conference schedules
- Responded to inquiries from attorneys, claimants, and others regarding OALJ procedures and case requirements
- Reviewed Freedom of Information Act request; determined releasable information; redacted protected information
- Provided administrative support by creating/maintaining databases (i.e
- Quickbase) on Authority decisions and other documents
- Prepares and converts legal decisions, using office automated software, into appropriate Authority format and uploads the decisions and case digests onto the Authority’s website
- Used references, computerized research, and other available sources to obtain and verify that legal authorities cited in Authority decisions are accurate and conform to the format required by The Blue Book
Law Office Superintendent/Senior Paralegal
Military
08.2012 - 05.2019
- Hired, managed, developed and trained staff, established and monitored goals, and conducted performance reviews.
- Assumed a lead role in the Fraud Remedies program
- Coordinating with United States Attorneys’ offices and Air Force Special Investigations in the investigation and subsequent prosecution of contract fraud cases for the United States
- Instrumental in garnering $15 million in fraud cases remedied
- Ensured the efficient management of litigation matters and trained case paralegals in litigation processes/procedures, electronic files and database applications, and utilization of LexisNexis/Westlaw for legal research, and the Federal Acquisition Regulation to cite legal documents
- Championed the adoption of automated systems, tools and resources for case management, discovery management, legal research, document preparations and file maintenance to capture substantial gains in the productivity and efficiency of litigation case management
- Shouldered administrative duties for legal staff such as scheduling, filing, responding to inquiries and answering phones.
- Furnished attorneys with legal literature supporting individual cases and advised on courses of action.
- Worked with other law offices and state and federal offices to obtain evidence and legal documentation pertaining to cases.
- Managed complex schedules for attorneys and lawyers with court dates and client meetings.
- Identified opportunities to streamline processes and improve office operations and efficiency.
- Built highly-efficient administrative team through ongoing coaching and professional development opportunities.
- Built and managed processes for tracking and monitoring department performance.
- Implemented project management techniques to overcome obstacles and increase team productivity.
Education
Project Management
USDA Certificate in Project Management - Boot Camp
Online09-2024
Contracting Officer Representative Course II - undefined
Management Concepts Institute
Washington, DC03.2023
Contracts and Acquisitions Training -
Defense Acquisitions University
Montgomery, Alabama09.2020
Project Management Bootcamp - undefined
Project Management Institute
Arlington, VA10.2018
Certification in Project Management - undefined
George Washington School of Continuing Studies
Washington, DC04.2017
MBA - Business Administration
University of Phoenix
Honolulu, HI05.2003
AA - Paralegal Studies
Community College of The Air Force
Montgomery, Alabama05.2002
AA - Financial Management
Community College of The Air Force
Montgomery, Alabama03.2001
BA - Political Science
Cheyney University of PA
Cheyney, PA05.1995
Skills
- Litigation
- Contract Administration
- Acquisitions Officer
- Records Management
- Document Management
- Client Service Management
- Customer Service Management
- Regulatory Drafting
- Policy Drafting
- FOIA
- Privacy Act
- E-Discovery
- Relativity
- CaseMap
- Concordance
- Supervisory
- Leadership
- Human Resource Management and Staffing
- Office administration
- Legal Research/Writing
Certification
- Project Management Bootcamp, 09/24
- Federal Acquisition Certification for Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), Level 2, 05/23
- Professional Managers Certification, 06/12
Personal Information
Typing Speed: 105 words per minute
Training Professional Development
- Human Relations Training
- Policy Analyst
- HR Manager Course
- Senior Management Course
- Regulatory Writing
- FOIA Training (DOJ)
- Resource Management
- Federal Travel Regulations Training
- Tax Center Director (VITA)
- Project Management
- Leadership/Management Development Course
- Law Office Manager Course
- CaseMap, Concordance and Relativity Training/Certification
Timeline
Legal Administrative Specialist
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
12.2023 - Current
Paralegal Specialist
Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA)
08.2022 - 12.2023
Policy Analyst and Outreach Specialist
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
08.2021 - 01.2022
Regulatory Paralegal Specialist
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
03.2020 - 08.2022
Program Analyst
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
12.2019 - 03.2020
Paralegal Specialist
Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA)
05.2019 - 12.2019
Law Office Superintendent/Senior Paralegal
Military
08.2012 - 05.2019
Contracting Officer Representative Course II - undefined
Management Concepts Institute
Project Management Bootcamp - undefined
Project Management Institute
Certification in Project Management - undefined
George Washington School of Continuing Studies
MBA - Business Administration
University of Phoenix
BA - Political Science
Cheyney University of PA
- Project Management Bootcamp, 09/24
- Federal Acquisition Certification for Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), Level 2, 05/23
- Professional Managers Certification, 06/12
Project Management
USDA Certificate in Project Management - Boot Camp
Contracts and Acquisitions Training -
Defense Acquisitions University
AA - Paralegal Studies
Community College of The Air Force
AA - Financial Management
Community College of The Air Force
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