Michelle L. Magana

Biography

Michelle Magaña, a State Bar of Wisconsin Certified Paralegal, is the Paralegal Team Manager, managing seven (7) paralegals and two (2) legal assistants. Michelle is also the paralegal to a member of the Board of Directors and several shareholders for Crivello, Nichols & Hall, S.C., and reports directly to the Managing Partner. Her primary area of focus is on mass asbestos litigation managing in excess of 1500 matters within 15 states and coordinating with various local counsel. In addition to toxic tort/asbestos litigation, she manages heavy case-loads for several attorneys ensuring compliance and meeting deadlines for cases of the firm’s high-volume clients, delegates work and coordinates workflow for the paralegals and attorneys within the Asbestos Practice Team.

She assists in management of the calendar and scheduling for all multi-state litigation (i.e. discovery deadlines, depositions, trial calendars, and hearing dates), drafts pleadings (i.e. witness lists, discovery requests and responses, etc.), obtains records, summarizes documents, attends document inspections, prepares settlement documents and Medicare compliance documents, prepares budget projections for clients, and maintains direct contact with clients and local counsel. Michelle tracks and stores historical data for each client to aid in monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting requirements from insureds and carriers. This includes and is not limited to settlements, dismissals, filing trends, venue trends, and billing analysis.

She facilitates process improvement systems to aid in the efficiency of the Asbestos Practice Team and coordinates task distribution and workloads. She is consistently developing systems to provide the highest level of service Crivello, Nichols & Hall, S.C. clients expect.

In addition, she works closely with the Billing and IT Departments, ensuring all guidelines and client expectations are being met and routinely addressing billing issues that may arise. She is involved with developing and implementing improvements in timekeeping and electronic billing which streamline and simplify individual and firm responsibilities. She coordinates with the IT Department regarding use of technology as it relates to paralegals and to assist attorneys in numerous areas for presentations of Continuing Legal Education, and coordinating with outside vendors regarding document production, copying, and creating digital and print copies of a wide array of usage for all stages of a case.

Michelle is a member of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, which addresses problems, proposes solutions, and assists in making decisions with committee members and colleagues thereby promoting a comfortable and welcoming work environment where each person feels respected and heard.

Practice Areas

Product Liability

State Certifications

State Bar of Wisconsin Certified Paralegal (SBWCP)

Education

Kaplan University, Associates Degree, Paralegal Studies, 2002