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Swanson & McNamara LLP is a trial and appellate law firm specializing in high-stakes criminal, civil, and regulatory defense and internal investigations. Prior to joining Swanson & McNamara, Ms. McGuigan worked for the Federal Public Defender in the Northern District of California for 15 years where she assisted in several trials including four complex death penalty cases, one of which resulted in an acquittal. She is a certified eDiscovery specialist holding multiple ACEDS eDiscovery certifications, as well as certifications in Cellebrite mobile forensic fundamentals (CMFF), and digital forensics, and she has over 21 hours of digital forensic training in FTK. Ms. McGuigan is the acting president of San Francisco Paralegal Association, chair of the San Francisco Bar Paralegal Section, and the director of the San Francisco Chapter of Women in eDiscovery. When she isn’t working, she enjoys spending time crafting and hanging out with her four dogs. She will be presenting at the NALA Boston conference in July, on ethical considerations in criminal law cases, text and smartphone evidence for paralegals – how to identify, preserve, collect, and produce and assisting at trial.

Mr. Suits has been a practicing attorney for 20 years and focuses his practice on representing individuals who have been severely injured in a wide range of accidents. He also serves as a Mediator for the Civil Early Settlement Conference Program for the Santa Clara County Superior Court. Before starting his own firm in 2012, Mr. Suits worked as an Attorney for Robinson and Wood, Inc. and Tharpe and Howell, LLP. He also served as a Law Clerk for the Civil Liability Division of the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office. Mr. Suits obtained his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1997. He subsequently obtained his law degree from the University of Southern California Law School in 2003. Mr. Suits is a member of the State Bar of California.

Ms. Palmer earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama then attended law school at Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, Florida. She previously worked as in-house counsel for a real estate investment company and was the managing attorney of a law firm in Midtown Atlanta. Ms. Palmer is a partner at Oxendine Law, LLC, practicing in all areas of domestic litigation, divorce, child custody, paternity and legitimation, and modification actions. She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia Family Law Section and the Gwinnett County Bar Association Family Law Section.

Mr. Simon was named as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers in the area of family law, He has exclusively practiced family law for the entirety of his legal career. Mr. Simon is a member of the Family Law Section of the Atlanta Bar Association and the Family Law Section and Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia. Mr. Simon has been published in the Daily Report, the legal organ of Fulton County, Georgia, and in the American Journal of Trial Advocacy. He has also spoken at continuing legal education conferences on topics germane to family law cases.

Ms. Steele is a graduate of Florida State University where she received a B.A. degree in Communications and a B.A. degree in Psychology. She graduated from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University earning her J.D. degree and a Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law, being trained in both the civil and common law. Following graduation, Ms. Steele moved to Atlanta and worked for a general practice litigation firm, where she specialized in family law practice and eventually grew into an all-family practice. She now works at the boutique (and all female!) family law firm of Kaye, Lembeck, Hitt & French Family Law. Ms. Steele has served as an Emerging Leader for the American Bar Association and is privileged to continue her service to the American Bar Association.

Mr Wynn is an associate attorney with Slappey & Sadd, LLC. His practice focuses exclusively on catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases. He has successfully represented hundreds of personal injury victims in cases involving trucking and automobile wrecks, premises liability claims, medical malpractice, and intentional torts. Mr. Wynn has also successfully handled numerous appeals before both the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Georgia.After graduating from the Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law in 2007, Mr. Wynn was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia that same year. During law school, he received the Frank C. Jones Scholarship, a CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Evidence, and a Certificate in Advanced Legal Writing and Research from Mercer Law’s top-ranked legal writing program. Prior to law school, he graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia with a BA in Political Science from UGA’s School of Public and International Affairs. Mr. Wynn strongly believes that attorneys are called to serve others and the community at large. He co-founded Step Up, Atlanta!, a non-profit organization that has organized fundraisers and volunteers service opportunities benefiting charities such as the US Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation, the Special Olympics of Georgia, and the Atlanta Community Food Bank. He has also served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Beta Xi Chapter (UGA) of the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity. Mr. Wynn is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Crime Victims Advocacy Council, an organization dedicated to assisting crime victims and their families through education, counseling, and legislative initiatives.

Ms. Buckley is the prior president of the San Francisco Bar Association Paralegal Section and continues to sit on the board. She taught family law for two semesters at San Francisco State in their paralegal program. Since obtaining her paralegal certificate from Cañada College in 2011, Ms. Buckley has worked exclusively in family law. Prior to becoming a paralegal, she taught English at middle and high schools across the country. During her free time, Ms. Buckley enjoys reading Victorian novels, trashy true crime, and taking her Golden Retriever, Jolene, on swim dates. She has presented multiple CLEs over the years, mostly focusing on discovery.

Swanson & McNamara LLP is a trial and appellate law firm specializing in high-stakes criminal, civil, and regulatory defense and internal investigations. Prior to joining Swanson & McNamara, Ms. McGuigan worked for the Federal Public Defender in the Northern District of California for 15 years where she assisted in several trials including four complex death penalty cases, one of which resulted in an acquittal. She is a certified eDiscovery specialist holding multiple ACEDS eDiscovery certifications, as well as certifications in Cellebrite mobile forensic fundamentals (CMFF), and digital forensics, and she has over 21 hours of digital forensic training in FTK. Ms. McGuigan is the acting president of San Francisco Paralegal Association, chair of the San Francisco Bar Paralegal Section, and the director of the San Francisco Chapter of Women in eDiscovery. When she isn’t working, she enjoys spending time crafting and hanging out with her four dogs. She will be presenting at the NALA Boston conference in July, on ethical considerations in criminal law cases, text and smartphone evidence for paralegals – how to identify, preserve, collect, and produce and assisting at trial.

Ms. Skaggs serves as the president of San Francisco Legal Professionals Association (SFLPA) and has served the SFLPA Board consecutively for the last 10 years. She also serves on the Continuing Education Committee as the webinar co-chair for Legal Professionals, Inc. (LPI), where she arranges and moderates continuing legal educational webinars with a dynamic team. Ms. Skaggs is working on the Summer Court Series where courtroom clerks in both federal and state courts all over California present for one hour two to three times per month. When serving as the SFLPA Education chair, she organized a three-day legal professionals workshop at San Francisco State University, which allowed all levels of legal secretaries and paralegals to earn a certificate showing that they completed the class. Ms. Skaggs has presented on a panel with an attorney about the California Rules v. the Local Rules of the Court in the presentation, “Cracking the Code,” as well as on a panel of attorneys and a paralegal at the Bar Association of San Francisco Paralegal Section called “50 Days to Trial.” She is a Bay Area native and earned her bachelor’s degree with a major in English and a minor in Political Science from the California State University, East Bay, where she returned several years later to obtain her Paralegal Certificate. Ms. Skaggs is committed to continuing education and enjoys being a part of any organization with the commitment to supporting that cause. She recently studied for, and successfully passed, the intense 8-hour exam to become a California Certified Legal Secretary (CCLS) in 2019 and is honored to add those four initials at the end of her name. Ms. Skaggs looks forward to continuing her passion through learning, teaching, or mentoring others while contributing to their personal growth and success.

Muna Abdallah, is an associate in the Columbus office of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP.  She is a member of the litigation practice group and the electronic discovery sub-group. Her practice focuses on general complex commercial litigation, land-use litigation and electronic discovery matters.

Muna received her J.D. from the Vanderbilt University Law School. She received her B.S.B.A in finance and economics from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business.

Amanda Paar Conroy joined Kent State University’s paralegal program in 2013.  She teaches Introduction to Paralegal Studies and Professional Ethics, Advanced Legal Research and Writing, and many legal specialty electives.

Prior to her career in higher education, she spent eight years as a civil trial attorney at Plakas Mannos in Canton, Ohio.  Her primary area of practice was labor and employment law where she litigated and conducted extensive research for cases involving short-term and long-term employment benefits, employment discrimination, best practices for employee discipline and hiring and firing decisions, and whistleblower actions.  Paar Conroy also has experience in the areas of business litigation, consumer law, probate, wrongful death, and personal injury.

In addition to her work at Kent, Paar Conroy is a magistrate at the Stark County Court of Common Pleas.

Douglas R. Matthews, Partner, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease

Douglas R. Matthews is a partner in the Columbus office of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP and a commercial litigator in the litigation group. His practice focuses on electronic discovery matters, and he is the head of the firm’s electronic discovery practice group.  Doug has represented numerous businesses with regard to the management and discovery of electronically stored information. He has represented both corporate and public entities in a variety of litigation matters, including multiple putative class actions and complex antirust matters.  Doug regularly speaks nationally and locally on electronic discovery issues.

Doug received his J.D. summa cum laude from The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law. He received his B.A. from the University of Virginia. He clerked for The Honorable Joseph P. Kinneary, United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio and for The Honorable Alan Norris, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Professor Peterson, joined Kent State University’s Paralegal Studies program as an Associate Professor in the Fall of 2016. She teaches multiple legal specialty electives. Prior to her career in higher education, Professor Peterson served as a trial attorney, litigating cases as a private practitioner, State of Ohio Assistant Attorney General and Associate Counsel/Managing Attorney for The Cincinnati Insurance Company. She has handled cases from their inception and investigation, through discovery, motion practice, trial and appeal. Professor Peterson, received a unanimous 7-0 ruling in the Ohio Supreme Court in the real estate malpractice case Cincinnati Ins. Co. v. Anders, 99 Ohio St.3d 156 (2003). Her areas of legal interest include insurance defense, litigation, bodily injury, dental malpractice, large loss subrogation and alternative dispute resolution. Professor Peterson’s over 24 years of litigation and management experience as well as her 7 years of teaching experience, provide her students with a practical and balanced outlook of the legal profession. At Kent State University Professor Peterson instructs Legal Research & Writing, Civil Procedure, Corporations, Torts, Family Law, Bankruptcy, Labor & Employment Law, Copyright Law, Wills, Trusts & Estates, Real Estate Law, Law Office Technology, First Year Experience and supervises Paralegal Internships. Professor Peterson is currently licensed in State of Ohio and Federal Court.

Chad Berry’s practice primarily consists of business and commercial litigation and bankruptcy litigation. He has more than 25 years of broad trial experience prosecuting and defending claims on behalf of businesses and individuals. Over the years, Mr. Berry has represented businesses, banks, lending institutions, leasing companies, commercial landlords, aerospace companies, churches, residential and commercial contractors, publishing companies, production companies, and service companies. His practice areas include: Business and Commercial Litigation; Banking (Collections, Foreclosures, Litigation); Creditor’s Rights (Litigation, Extraordinary Remedies, and Post-Judgment Collections); Bankruptcy (Collections and Litigation); Contract/Lease Litigation; Construction Litigation; Commercial Landlord and Tenant Litigation; Business Torts (Fraud, Deceit, Conversion, and Embezzlement); and Churches, Ministries and Religious Institutions. Mr. Berry is admitted to the State Bar of Texas; United States District Courts and Bankruptcy Courts for the Northern, Western, Eastern and Southern Districts of Texas; United States Court of Federal Claims; United States District Court and Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado; and Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. He earned his B.A. degree from Abilene Christian University and his J.D. degree from Western Michigan University – Cooley Law School.

David Findley is a problem solver with deep experience across a range of family law and probate matters. Whether it’s a divorce, custody dispute, or property division, he works with clients to identify achievable goals to work toward. Once that’s been accomplished, he lays out a plan to give them the best possible chance of making it happen. He attended Texas A&M University, where he studied Political Science, graduating magna cum laude. He received his law degree from Baylor University School of Law. He is a member of the Family Law sections of both the State Bar of Texas and the Dallas Bar Association.

Ms. Grove is an experienced and Board Certified Paralegal with a demonstrated history of working in the legal and medical industries. She is skilled in medical record summarization, drafting pleadings and discovery, e-filing, demand preparation, negotiation, subrogation and reductions.

Ms. McQuilliams has been a litigation defense paralegal/medical consultant for 29 yrs, specializing in medical malpractice, pharmaceutical, medical device, toxic tort and product liability. She has attended and managed 30-40 trials in Texas and Oklahoma. In addition to her paralegal background, she has been a Licensed Paramedic for 23 yrs. Ms. McQuilliams experience as a paramedic, including many years in the ER, allows her to assist attorneys and claim professionals with medical record review/analysis, witness/expert interviews, liability/damage determinations and medical research.

Caroline Near’s areas of practice include: Divorce; Child Custody; Child Support; Property Division; Enforcements; Family Violence; Appellate; Marital Agreements; Grandparents’ Rights; and Mediation & Arbitration. She is admitted to the State Bar of Texas (Family Law Section, Member); Dallas Bar Association (Family Law Section, Member); and Annette Stewart American Inn of Court (Associate). She received her B.A. degree from The University of Texas at Austin and her J.D. degree from SMU Dedman School of Law.

Ms. Wise completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin with honors, majoring in Psychology, and she earned her J.D. degree from South Texas College of Law in Houston. She was admitted to practice in Texas on February 8, 2001, and has been Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 2011. Ms. Wise is a member of the State Bar of Texas, its Family Law Section, its Texas Technology Section, and then the College of the State Bar of Texas, the Houston Bar Association and its Family Law Section, the Fort Bend County Bar Association, and Gulf Coast Family Law Specialists.

Elizabeth A. Ashton is an experienced attorney with expertise in divorce and family law.  Prior to practicing family law, she was an Assistant Attorney General at the Office of the New Mexico Attorney General where she honed her skills in communicating arguments effectively to obtain positive outcomes for her clients. She understands that cases involving families are unique—clients and families are struggling with extremely stressful and emotional situations while trying to understand and work through the legal system. Elizabeth earned her BBA in Management from the University of Oklahoma, her Juris Doctor from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, and is a member of the NM State Bar Family Law Section.

Laura Horton is an experienced trial attorney with a background in accounting and finance. She practices exclusively in divorce and family law throughout the entire state of New Mexico. Laura is accomplished in resolving cases through a wide-range of available methods, whether it’s an uncontested, amicable matter, negotiation with other attorneys, formal mediation, or litigating matters before the court when necessary.  Ms. Horton handles divorce, child custody, property and retirement division, spousal support, domestic violence, and kinship guardianship cases.  She sits on the boards of the Domestic Violence Resource Center and the New Mexico Women’s Bar Association.  

Ms. Padilla’s legal practice focuses on issues involving family relationships, including adoption, divorce, and child custody. Ms. Padilla received her J.D. degree from The University of New Mexico School of Law. Previously she served as an associate attorney at Atencio Law Office, an attorney with Wolf & Fox, PC, and an attorney with New Mexico Legal Group, P.C.

Ms. Palomares has worked with RMC since 2016. She graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2015. She briefly worked as an Assistant District Attorney in the Second Judicial District, prosecuting domestic violence and DUI cases. Ms. Palomares has extensive experience in litigation in domestic relations, criminal, and children’s court matters. She is committed to ensuring that clients receive the expert guidance they deserve. She manages a diverse caseload, handling everything from litigation and motions practice to negotiation in domestic relations, guardianship proceedings, conservatorship proceedings, and guardian ad litem work. Ms. Palomares is fluent in Spanish and, in her spare time, she performs and records New Mexico Spanish music and performs with Mariachi Calor.

Ms. Saavedra devotes her practice to helping clients through the various issues of Family Law, including complex and high asset divorces, custody, parentage, child support, prenuptial agreements, adoptions, kinship guardianships and Guardian ad Litem representation of minor children. Sheryl obtained her law degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1994. She has concentrated over 27 years of law practice primarily in the area of Family Law. Sheryl joined Peak Legal Group, LLC in 2019 after beginning her Albuquerque law practice with a local Albuquerque law family law firm in 2017. Formerly, Sheryl owned and operated a successful private family law practice in Roswell, NM for over 10 years. In addition to spending a considerable part of her early years in practice representing parents in the State of New Mexico Children Youth and Families Department’s abuse and neglect system, Sheryl also served as the Chaves County Guardian ad Litem representing over 100 children in foster care for several years.