Investigative Techniques 2023: What Paralegals Need to Know

Agenda / Content Covered

1. Locating People and Gathering Background Information: Tips All Paralegals Should Know for 2023
   10:00 - 11:00, Melissa Jones
   1. Applicable Laws and New Developments
   2. Locating and Researching People; Researching Attorneys, Witnesses, and Judges
   3. Researching Criminal and Civil Records; Property, Asset, and Financial Information
   4. Investigating Businesses: 2023 Guide
   5. What You Need to Know About Using Open-Source Intelligence Techniques (OSINT) to Research Businesses and Individuals
   6. Social Media Investigations: Best Practices and Current Developments
   7. Helpful Websites and Online Databases You Need to Know
2. Conducting Interviews: New Tactics, Potential Pitfalls
   11:15 - 12:15, William G. Hardwick II
   1. The Latest Guidance on Researching Cases and Preparing for Interviews
   2. Interview Techniques, Styles, and Strategies
   3. How to Spot Lying: What Paralegals Need to Know
   4. Assessing Credibility
   5. Taking Witness Statements
   6. Interviews Gone Wrong - Top Paralegal Mistakes
3. Requesting Public Records: Reviewing the Latest Guidelines
   12:15 - 1:15, Michelle Arty
   1. Publicly Available Business Records
   2. Electronic Records
   3. Filing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and State Agency Requests: What You Must Know
   4. Subpoenaing Records
   5. When Your Request Is Denied: Key Steps to Take
   6. How to Use Public Records
4. Tracking Down Employment and Medical Records: Current Guidance and Best Practices
   1:45 - 2:45, Alexa D'Amato Barrera
   1. Obtaining Employment and Medical Records
      1. Discovery: Interrogatories, Request to Produce, etc.
      2. Subpoenas
   2. Tracking Down Missing Records and Additional Patient Information
   3. Reviewing and Deciphering Records
      1. Common Medical Abbreviations and Terminology
      2. Useful Details That Are Easy to Overlook
      3. Using Experts
5. New Methods for Organizing Investigation Results
   2:45 - 3:45, Michelle Arty
   1. Creating Case Investigation Notebooks in 2023
   2. Creative Ways to Organize Records, Files, and Evidence
   3. Handling Voluminous Records
   4. Organizing Records From Different Facilities
   5. Preparing Summaries, Chronologies, and Reports: New Drafting Tips and Expert Insights
6. Paralegal Ethics
   4:00 - 5:00, Karin M. Scheehle
   1. Preserving Confidentiality
   2. Conflicts of Interest
   3. Legal Ethics of Billing
   4. Avoiding UPL

Accreditation Details:

Michelle Arty is a litigation paralegal with Shendell & Pollock, PL in Boca Raton, Florida. Ms. Arty is involved in all aspects of trial and appellate work, including client and witness interviews; communicating with clients/parties, opposing counsel and staff, and outside professionals and organizations; discovery, both review and analysis of incoming and outgoing discovery requests and working with clients to compile and draft responses to same; scheduling; attendance at mediations, hearings and trials; legal research; drafting pleadings from initial filing through appeal; and maintaining files. She is a certified paralegal, having received her advanced certifications in both trial practice and e-discovery. She is also a Florida registered paralegal. Ms. Arty is currently serving her second term on The Florida Bar's FRP Enrichment Committee. She is a member of the Paralegal Association of Florida and is serving as president of its Palm Beach Chapter. She received her A.A.S. in legal assisting from Tallahassee Community College and her A.A. degree from Florida State University.

Alexa D'Amato Barrera is a partner at the D'Amato Law Firm, P.C., in Egg Harbor Township, where she has been representing victims of negligence from things like car, motorcycle and bus crashes, construction matters, fall downs, dog bites and the like, in addition to representing families for special education matters. She is actively involved nationally with the American Association for Justice (AAJ), where she is past chair of their New Lawyers Division; and the New Jersey Association for Justice (NJAJ), where she was on their Board of Governors and program chair for various seminars. Ms. D'Amato Barrera also writes a column about personal injury law for Atlantic County Woman. She earned her B.A. degree from Stockton State College and her J.D. degree from Rutgers School of Law.

William G. Hardwick II is a sole practitioner in Memphis, Tennessee, where his main area of practice is general civil practice. Mr. Hardwick previously taught at the Memphis School of Law (legal writing). He is a member of the Memphis and Tennessee bar associations. Mr. Hardwick earned his B.A. degree, with honors, from Rhodes College and his J.D. degree from the University of Memphis.

Melissa Jones is an attorney with the Cleveland law firm of Frantz Ward LLP, where her practice focuses on creditors' rights and collections law. Ms. Jones has extensive experience in all phases of debt collection and judgment execution, including drafting credit agreements; perfecting and enforcing security interests and lien rights; negotiating effective payment plans; litigating debt; obtaining judgments; filing and foreclosing judgment liens; and locating, seizing and garnishing assets. She also represents manufacturers, suppliers, subcontractors, contractors and owners in construction collection disputes; including mechanic's lien claims, public work attested account claims, and performance and payment bond claims. Ms. Jones routinely advises clients on all aspects of lien protection, preservation and enforcement procedures; and is experienced in prosecuting and defending lien foreclosure proceedings. She is a member of the Ohio State and Cleveland Metropolitan bar associations, and frequently lectures on collection and lien law. Ms. Jones earned her B.A. degree from the Ohio State University and her J.D. degree from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

Karin M. Scheehle is a litigation paralegal for Gallagher & Kennedy in Phoenix, Arizona, working on multi-million dollar personal injury cases. Ms. Scheehle has more than 30 years of experience working in the legal profession and is an experienced litigation paralegal, law firm administrator, and technology manager. Although the vast majority of her experience has been in litigation, she has also worked in other areas of the law including real estate, corporate, admiralty, and administrative law. Ms. Scheehle has assisted in more than 50 trials in California, Texas and Arizona, including the largest securities trial in Maricopa County, where more than 9,000 exhibits were marked and more than 60 witnesses testified. She specializes in technology enhanced case management and electronic trial presentation. Ms. Scheehle earned her certified paralegal designation from the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) and several advanced certifications in litigation, personal injury, and e-discovery. She earned her B.S. degree in management, with honors, and her M.B.A. degree with emphasis in technology management. Ms. Scheehle is a certified case logistics administrator and a certified eDiscovery specialist. She has taught numerous seminars both locally and nationally, predominately in the areas of litigation, technology, ethics, case management, and law firm management. Ms. Scheehle has had articles published in both local and national publications. She has also served as a guest lecturer at several legal assistant schools, and currently teaches as adjunct faculty in the ABA approved Legal Studies program at Phoenix College in Phoenix, Arizona. Ms. Scheehle served on the Board of Directors of the Arizona Paralegal Association for 15 years and NALA's Board of Directors for 10 years. She also served on NALA's Certifying Board for three years and on the Professional Development Committee for three years (including two years as chair). Ms. Scheehle served on several NALA committees tasked with developing advanced certification courses and is a frequent lecturer for NALA Campus Live and co-presented technology-related seminar tracks at three NALA national conventions.