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My “hidden” talent showed up strongly in 8th grade, when Ricky, the guy who sat in the desk in front of me, always turned around and asked me to explain or help him with his grammar. Ricky went on to become our senior class president. No one knows English grammar, punctuation, or spelling better than I do.

I always have difficulty reading anything because any misspellings or grammatical errors virtually LEAP off the page or screen at me.

In every job I have had since 1977, my major job functions always included proofreading, copyediting, and rewriting, from online manuals (http://onlinemanuals.txdot.gov/txdotmanuals/trm/index.htm) and history searches (http://www.dot.state.tx.us/tpp/search/query.htm) to legal documents and websites.

Aug 1989 - Feb 2008
Texas Department of Transportation (United States of America - Austin, TX)
Technical Writer
Created the Highway Designation Manual to assist those who prepare Highway designation minute order packets for the Texas Transportation Commission. Interviewed employees working on the Texas Reference Marker System and County Road Inventory Project so that manuals would communicate procedures to new analysts and data collectors. Edited, proofread, checked punctuation, and spelling in manuals so that they were clear to the users. Users can look for procedures and information with no confusion.
Created Texas Reference Marker System User Manual, How to Read Construction Plans Manual, Preparing Designation Reports Manual
Wrote, edited, and proofread highway designation minute orders, checked for proper usage of grammar so that the secretaries would not have to return the minute orders to me for revisions.


Oct 1987 - Aug 1989
Various (United States of America - Houston, TX)
Para-Legal
• Prepared, proofread, edited, transcribed, rewrote legal documents and correspondence
• Summarized depositions
• Analyzed cases
• Upkept docket, procedural timetables, and active client lists
• Interviewed clients
• Gathered information for discovery
• Prepared for depositions
• Set Motion hearings
• Assisted attorneys in court hearings and trials
• Performed legal research
• Managed law library
• Entered billing for accounts payable and receivable
• Prepared payroll checks and quarterly taxes
• Gained extensive knowledge of legal terminology, in order to assist attorneys in interviewing prospective clients, originating lawsuits, responding to opposing attorneys’ answers and counter-claims, arranging for exhibits to use in hearings and in trials, contracting expert witnesses, discussing trial strategies, preparing witnesses for testimony, assisting in evaluation of jury panel, assisting attorneys in trials and appeals
• Managed law office operations, such as maintaining accounts receivable and payable, payroll, employee relations
• Supervised two (2) clerical employees in maintaining the filing system, typing correspondence, greeting clients and other attorneys, answering phones

Mar 1987 - Mar 1988
Bachelor's Degree - Legal Studies
Texas Para-Legal School (United States of America - Houston, TX)


Sep 2000 - Dec 2004
Bachelor's Degree - Business Administration/Management
St. Edward's University (United States of America - Austin, TX)

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