Paralegal Gateways January 2012 Jana Kaplan

January 2012: Jana Kaplan

Jeannie Sapp Johnston | Jan 06, 2012 | Comments 0

Jana Kaplan has been working in the legal field since 1999, when she ran a small two-attorney general practice, concentrating primarily on residential real estate closings.  After working there for a year, Jana was presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity to live and work in Australia for one year, which she did from 2000-2001. She worked several legal assistant temporary roles at law firms such as Jones Day, Blake Dawson Waldron and Matthews Solicitors. Jana travelled extensively while there, partook in the excitement of the 2000 Olympic Games, and lived in walking distance of Bondi Beach. Upon her return stateside, she began her career in earnest as a legal assistant at the insurance defense law firm of MacCartney, MacCartney, Kerrigan & MacCartney. Jana moved to Atlanta in 2004 and was employed at the corporate headquarters of Land Resource Companies, a commercial real estate developer where she supported the General Counsel.
Since 2007, Jana has been employed by OFS Fitel, LLC, a Japanese fiber optics company headquartered in Norcross, Georgia. She is the sole paralegal in the commercial law department, supporting the Vice President of the department and general counsel with contract matters and corporate governance. She is responsible for the handling of Board Meetings, as well as interacting on a daily basis with the Sales and Marketing Departments of the company.
Jana lives in the Virginia-Highlands neighborhood of Atlanta with her two cats, Maisie and Ghost. She holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Broadcasting & Mass Communications from the State University of New York College at Oswego, and a Paralegal Certificate from Mercy College in White Plains, New York. She is a Notary Public in the States of New York and Georgia, and a Member in Good Standing of the National Association of Legal Assistants. In her spare time, she enjoys live music, reading, doing yoga & pilates, practicing photography, spending time with friends & family, and travelling – her next big adventure will be in April 2012, when she will spend time in China volunteering at the Panda Conservation Center in Chengdu.