Employee of the Month
We are proud of our legal support staff, which ranges from paralegals, case clerks, investigators, and legal secretaries, to document scanners and receptionists. Each employee is expected to take personal responsibility to do the best job possible, but he or she must also function as part of our legal team. All our employees help make a client’s experience a better one.
Every month our employees pick an outstanding coworker and team member who has contributed over and beyond his or her job responsibilities. We are pleased to honor the recent employees of the month or EOMs listed below. For information about our EOMs from 2006, please see the Employee of the Month archive.
February 2009: Laura Elkurdi
Laura has been an employee in the firm’s paralegal department for over seven years, although she works closely with other departments as well. This has allowed her to develop a detailed overview of work flow and how processes and procedures impact/overlap those of other departments. Kind of a “go to” person for many.
Prior to coming to the firm, Laura worked for twelve years at Commerce Clearinghouse in the government contract division. This experience was helpful in learning the legal “language” which has been put to excellent use here.
Laura enjoys reading historical fiction and mysteries, taking walks and enjoying the beauty that is Marin. We, in turn, enjoy having her at the firm. Her nomination for this honor was signed by twenty people which speaks volumes about how she is perceived by her co–workers.
January 2009: Mandy Podesta
Mandy has been an employee in our Service Department for over two years. During that time she has held two positions, the first of which involved service tracking, service binder preparation, and answer to complaints data entry.
She was key in implementing new procedures to increase efficiency and accuracy within the department. Her current position is to prepare the weekly serves, some of which have over a hundred defendants for one claim. She works closely with paralegals, attorneys, and outside counsel to gather the correct information for each serve. Her co–workers praise Mandy’s work ethic and willingness to do whatever is necessary to meet shifting deadlines.
She enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking and camping, as well as homey things like baking cookies and cakes. We are fortunate to have this dedicated professional on our staff.
November 2008: Jessie Moore
Prior to joining Brayton Purcell last May, Jessie worked for six years at Clone, a small copy shop in Santa Rosa. She is our Mail Clerk extra ordinaire who supports everyone at the firm with efficiency and a smile. She enjoys reading (Jean Auel, Jane Austen, and Steven King are favorites), knitting, and baking.
October 2008: Christy Tada
Christy was very honored to receive this award which recognized her excellent work in the Paralegal Department.
September 2008: Mel Sibyan
Mel has been here since 2000, always in the Information Systems/Computer Help Department. He is also a valuable resource to Investigations because of his Machinist Mate background with the Navy.
Mel’s leisure activities include skiing and snowboarding (he loved the snow in Salt Lake City), wine tasting, and games of chance. He is an avid reader of spy novels and science fiction. Sushi and ribs are two of his favorite meals. Mel likes all types of music except country and jazz, and recently attended a Metallica concert and noticed the diversity of the crowd—old and young.