Advisory Board
The ParalegalGateway Advisory Board provides expert guidance and help with the ongoing development of ParalegalGateway, ensuring it continues to meet the needs of Paralegals worldwide. The Advisory Board includes a range of distinguished professionals from both the legal and web development communities. We are honored to have this exceptional group of individuals donating their time to the continuing growth of the Paralegal profession. If you would like to contact any member of the Advisory Board, please submit your request to us via email.
| ParalegalGateway’s Advisory Board |
 Susan Craighead is the General Counsel for ParalegalGateway and a member of its Advisory Board. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Susan has 14 years of experience as a corporate and technology attorney and represents privately held companies as well as individual owners with an emphasis on corporate transactions, contracts and intellectual property licensing and protection. Susan is the Managing Partner of Craighead Law, LLC where she focuses on transactions that add value such as strategic alliances, debt and equity financing, acquisitions, Intellectual Property, including registration of trademarks and copyrights, and licensing agreements. |
 Daniel L. Johnston is the Senior Art Director for Bridgestone Golf and the Managing Partner of Canoe Creative Group. Daniel has over twenty years of Graphic Arts and Commercial Art experience including project management, ad development and design, marketing and product packaging design. Daniel is a true visionary designer with a love for mid-century and modern architecture and design. In addition to his graphic design talent, Daniel is also a seasoned musician with over twenty years in the music business as an accomplished bass guitarist. |
 Lorna Virts is a senior transactional paralegal in the Air Transportation Industry Group of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP, in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the first and only paralegal officially assigned to SGR’s ATI Group, which has one, if not the, longest standing aviation practices in the United States. Lorna is one of only a handful of paralegals worldwide working in the aircraft industry, and she primarily focuses on transactions involving both domestic and international commercial aircraft finance, leasing and acquisitions. Lorna began her legal career in 1984 as a Legal Specialist in the United States Army stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia. In 1986, she was selected by the Sergeant Major of the U.S. Army JAG Corps to attend the Paralegal and Court Reporter school at the Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island. (More>>>) |
 Julie Johns was a Paralegal for nine years working in the areas insurance defense, workers’ compensation, labor and employment defense, and general commercial litigation defense. Julie became the Paralegal Manager at Powell Goldstein LLP in 2006 and became the firm-wide Paralegal and Docketing Manager of Bryan Cave (including Bryan Cave Powell Goldstein LLP) in 2010. She manages all aspects of employment and employee relations for Paralegals including recruiting and hiring functions, conflict resolution, evaluations, and training. Julie received her BBA in Human Resource Management from Eastern New Mexico University and is the Atlanta Chapter Co-Chair of the International Paralegal Management Association. Julie also serves on the Review Board of the Institute of Paralegal Education. |
 Todd Noebel is currently the Manager, Human Resources, for McGuireWoods LLP, a top tier law firm with approximately 900 lawyers and 19 strategically located offices worldwide. Todd manages the Paralegal Program on a Firmwide basis for McGuireWoods. He has 26 years of professional experience combining administrative operations and human resources work in privately held organizations, external Executive Search, and Fortune 100 corporations. Todd works to continuously improve the paralegal program’s talent management policies, plans and processes that support the firm’s long-term business and operational objectives. This requires him to utilize strong planning, leadership, execution and process improvement skills to create and implement practices which promote greater efficiency and effectiveness to minimize bureaucracy and enhance profitability. Of particular interest to Todd is the alignment and integration of the firm’s values and core critical competencies in the hiring, management, leadership and development of the firm’s paralegal talent in order to drive execution of the company’s strategic plans for sustainable performance. |
 Doug Pristach grew up in Marietta, Georgia and is a graduate of Cobb County’s Pope High School. He went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management at the University of Michigan, and then returned to Atlanta to attend Emory University School of Law. Upon graduating from Emory in 1999, Doug passed the Georgia Bar Exam and then ventured out into the world of professional sports, spending nearly 6 successful years in sales for the Washington Capitals, Atlanta Thrashers and Atlanta Hawks. After leaving his position with the Atlanta Spirit/Philips Arena, Doug decided to combine knowledge from his legal education and extensive sales experience by pursuing opportunities in the litigation support industry. Doug is currently in his fourth year as a top sales executive for Merrill Corporation in Atlanta, Georgia, working with law firms and in-house legal departments to ease the challenges of paper and electronic discovery management, data acquisition, depositions, videography, document/evidence hosting, translations and multimedia trial services. Doug and his wife Deborah live in Atlanta, Georgia with their dog Radley and will be welcoming the first child in June. He is an avid baseball, college/pro football, hockey and The Simpsons fan. In his spare time, when not loudly cheering on the Wolverines, Braves or Thrashers, Doug enjoys playing golf and relaxing with a book and a fine scotch. |
 Beverly Michaelis received a B.S. degree from Portland State University in 1982 and a J.D. from the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College in 1986. She is a member of the Oregon State Bar, Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, and American Bar Association with over 25 years’ experience in the legal field as a lawyer and legal assistant. Ms. Michaelis provides confidential practice management assistance to Oregon attorneys to reduce their risk of malpractice claims, enhance their enjoyment of practicing law, and improve their client relationships through clear communication and efficient delivery of legal services. Ms. Michaelis practiced with a personal injury firm in Portland and provided pro bono legal services through the Volunteer Lawyers Project for over 8 years. Before joining the Professional Liability Fund as a Practice Management Advisor in May 1996, she was Placement Director and Associate Executive Director of the Multnomah Bar Association for 8 years. She is a frequent speaker, blogger, and tweeter on a variety of practice management, technology and malpractice avoidance topics for the Professional Liability Fund, Oregon State Bar, law-related associations, and Oregon law schools. She is a contributing author to The Ethical Oregon Lawyer, published by the Oregon State Bar and A Guide to Setting Up and Running Your Law Office, Planning Ahead: A Guide to Protecting Your Clients’ Interest in the Event of Your Disability or Death, and A Guide to Setting Up and Using Your Lawyer Trust Account published by the Oregon State Bar Professional Liability Fund. She is also a regular contributor of articles to the Oregon State Bar Bulletin, In Brief, and other publications. Beverly may be found on LinkedIn, JD Supra, Twitter and via her Blog. |
 Perry Binder, J.D.is a nationally recognized legal commentator and professional speaker for education associations, law firms, and businesses on a range of topics.As a National Speakers Association member with over 20 years of experience in the legal field, Perry is an energetic speaker who enjoys interacting with diverse audiences on cutting edge topics. His keynotes and workshops have been described as “practical, enthusiastic, and hilarious.” Perry has appeared internationally on radio and television, and is frequently quoted in print media, including The New York Times, Associated Press, USA Today, The Financial Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Investor’s Business Daily, Fox News, MSNBC News, ESPN Classic, AP Radio, CBS Radio, Congressional Quarterly Homeland Security, Philadelphia Inquirer, Rocky Mountain News, San Jose Mercury News, The Dayton Daily News, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.Perry is a legal studies professor at Georgia State University’s College of Business, where he teaches law in an optimistic and practice-oriented manner to MBA and undergraduate students. In 2008, Perry received the MBA students’ Crystal Apple Teaching Award, and in 2005 he received the Business School’s Teaching Excellence Award. In addition, Perry was a finalist for the university’s Innovative Teaching Award, and for the prestigious National ALSB Master Teaching Competition. Prior to teaching at Georgia State, he was the Director of Clayton State University’s Paralegal Program (1996-2000), where he taught Introduction to Law, Civil Litigation, Legal Research & Writing, Contracts, and Torts.
Perry is the author of numerous articles focusing on risk management and litigation prevention, for select publications such as American Jurisprudence, The Human Resource, Professional Speaker, and Competitive Edge Magazine. Prior to his teaching career, he litigated complex business cases in Miami, FL, with stakes in excess of $10 million. While in private practice, he negotiated contract settlements and consulted to a professional sports franchise. From 1992-1995, he was a part-time radio talk show host, with several shows dealing with law, business, and sports. Perry is an active member of The Florida Bar, NSA, SHRM-Atlanta, and SEALSB. He is a graduate of SUNY Buffalo Law School, where he served as an Articles Editor of The Buffalo Law Review, and Binghamton University (B.A., Political Science, with honors). Perry resides in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife and two children. |