DAVID RESNICK & ASSOCIATES - Key Persons
Glenda Steffany is usually the first person that visitors to David Resnick & Associates meet.
Glenda, who speaks English and Spanish, is the receptionist who handles the front desk-and many other duties as well. She assists lawyers in the firm as calendar clerk and also assists the paralegals.
A native of New York City, where she grew up in a bilingual household, Glenda now lives in Queens.
Prior to joining the Resnick firm in February 2017, she worked in a real-estate law firm and a credit-card processing center.
Her work keeps her busy, but that's the way she likes it. "I definitely like the variety," she says. "Every day, it's something new."
Job Titles:
- Litigation Paralegal Jovanna Rodrigo Is a Native of Brooklyn, Where She Grew Up Speaking English and Spanish
Her work at David Resnick & Associates focuses on assisting the firm's lawyers with cases once complaints are filed and put into suit, mostly focusing on the discovery and trial preparation phases of cases. In addition to working directly with lawyers, Jovanna also maintains regular contact with courts and medical facilities.
Jovanna was interested in the law while growing up. She received a B.A. in Forensic Psychology from the City University of New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 2012.
"I wanted to be a lawyer, and I thought being a paralegal would be a good way for me to get my foot in the door," she recalls.
With that goal in mind, she went to work in a small law firm, where she learned every aspect of case preparation, from intake to preparing for trial. She then worked in another firm and joined David Resnick & Associates in 2016.
Along with the legal knowledge she has attained, Jovanna combines strong technology skills with an aptitude for writing, which she draws upon when drafting a wide range of legal documents.
Jovanna loves her work as a paralegal and still plans on going to law school someday. "I just love the legal field," she says. "I like preparing documents and interacting with clients."
She also loves the ongoing education that her work is providing her. "I've found that every lawyer likes to do things a little differently," she says. "There's always something new to learn."
Jovanna still calls Brooklyn home and spends most of her spare time with a son who has a passion for playing soccer.
Litigation paralegal Jovanna Rodrigo is a native of Brooklyn, where she grew up speaking English and Spanish.
Paralegal Nancy Mendez is the person who usually puts cases into motion at David Resnick & Associates. When clients come to the firm with a case, Nancy handles the intake procedures and oftentimes arranges for the individual to be evaluated by a doctor.
"I explain to new clients how the process works," she says. "I give them a brief description of how we will go about working on their case and then we input them into our system."
Nancy's next step is to identify who should be notified that the firm has been retained to represent the client and then send them a letter that the client is pursuing a claim.
"I open up the cases, I send out letters of representation, request medical records, and basically follow up with the clients to make sure they are complying with treatment," she says.
Her other duties include responding to requests from defense lawyers for documents and other information about clients' cases.
Nancy has been with David Resnick & Associates since 2015 after beginning her legal career at another firm. A native of Belize, where she grew up speaking Spanish and English, Nancy has been in the U.S. since 2010 and obtained her paralegal certification from York College.
She is happy with that decision.
"I like being able to help clients, to sit with them and see what exactly is going on and explain to them what the process entails because a lot of them don't know that," she says.
Being bilingual, Nancy can converse with clients in the language in which they are most comfortable speaking, whether it is Spanish or English.
"And I love the legal world. I wasn't planning on doing paralegal work in the personal-injury area per se, but when I started working in this field, I realized I really like it. I like being able to talk to clients and help them to the best of my knowledge-and every day here I learn something new."
Nancy lives in Queens and enjoys coming into the city every day. In her spare time, she loves going to the gym and, when the weather permits, going to the beach and outdoor events.