Christine Dixon has a law degree

CHRISTINE A. DIXON, ESQ. - Resume
Christineadixon@ymail.com

Law degree from ABA accredited law school: Yes
Active member in good standing in a state bar: Yes
Federal Government employee: Former DHS, Customs and Border Protection
Highest federal grade: GS-905-14, Step 4
Full background investigation: Acceptable
Drug Testing: Acceptable
Security clearance: Obtainable

AREAS OF EXPERTISE
▪ Trial Advocacy ▪ Complex Legal Issues ▪ Legal Analysis ▪ Advice and Counsel
▪ Legal Drafting & Research ▪ Criminal Law ▪ Litigation ▪ Legal Supervision


Well-regarded practitioner-attorney, with significant background in civil, criminal, and administrative litigation involving complex cases, offers superb legal advice and counsel, excellent legal memoranda and opinions preparation, timely completion and proper filing of legal documents, coordinate teams and committees, and personally handle cases involving sensitive or highly visible issues that may contain facts difficult to develop and prove or matters of a precedent-setting nature. Outstanding legal research and analytical skills involving interpretation of statutes, regulations, decisional law, and opinions. Recognized expert in Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), labor-management relations, employment law, and administrative and criminal investigation.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Attorney, GS-905-11 / GS-905-14, Step 4 09/2000 – 01/2010
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Hours/week: 40
Office of the Assistant Chief Counsel Most recent salary: $115,731.00 per year
El Paso, TX Supervisor: Robert H. Humphries, 713-387-7260
Baltimore, MD Supervisor: John Flynn, (202) 503-0073; Colleen Piccone, (646) 733-3200 may contact

Legal Practice Representation, Negotiation and Litigation. Represented CBP as Agency counsel in numerous third-party administrative hearings, depositions, and arbitrations involving a broad spectrum of legal matters, such as employee discipline, adverse actions, immigration, and civil forfeiture. Managed a diverse caseload of fifty to sixty active cases at various stages of litigation. Maintained active daily practice calendar. Provided independent research, interpretation, and legal advice for complex legal issues. Significantly interacted with agency clients, investigators, attorneys, court personnel, and judges. Handled complex and sensitive litigation and policy issues, developed litigation strategies, and drafted pleadings, other legal documents, demand packages, and correspondence. Prepared position statements, substantive motions, and preliminary case assessments. Conducted discovery, including drafting and preparing responses to interrogatories, and conducted and defended depositions. Negotiated settlements and used alternative dispute resolution to resolve disputes.

Legal Advice: Provided legal advice to the inspectional personnel at the airport on issues of admissibility under the Immigration and Nationality Act, 4th Amendment search, seizure and forfeiture, agricultural issues and any other matters which pertain to their legal authorities. Provided advice to Senior Executive Level clients with regard to proposed settlements and litigation strategy in preparation for hearing or arbitrations. Provided oral and written advice to client on the full extent and boundaries of legal authorities related to Customs, Immigration, and agriculture laws. Provide oral and written advice to senior level inspectional management concerning conflicts of interests, employee relations, labor disputes, immigration and enforcement related to their legal authorities. Performed legal research into laws, regulations, decisions, and other precedents that bear on the client’s enforcement of Customs, Immigration and agriculture matters. Provided input to Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys and assist with the development of litigation strategy as it pertained to cases which were referred to DOJ for judicial action in district court.

Legal Drafting, Review, and Analysis: Prepared focused litigation reports, reviewed senior executive-level managers and senior-level supervisory affidavits, and prepared compelling legal pleadings and other documents in civil actions involving CBP; prepared legal memoranda and proposed legislation; and examined petitions related to civil penalties and forfeiture of assets. Prepared draft complaints to assist DOJ attorneys in prosecuting agency cases in district court. Drafted decisions for senior executive-level employees resolving claims involving CBP.

Staff Training: Recognized need, prepared materials, and provided current information and training to the field concerning significant changes occurring in law and procedure that affected operations of the agency. Wrote, coordinated, and delivered yearly training on forfeitures, document retention, electronic discovery, EEO, and ethical issues such as the Hatch Act, outside employment, post-employment activities, and conflict of interest.

Adroit Communications and Skillful Team-Building:

Superb oral and written communications. Clear, concise, and appropriate in all circumstances, at all levels of dissemination, well-prepared and understood. Record of high-quality written products produced under severe time constraints. Focus on quality, accuracy, and enforce compliance with policies and directives. Communicated issues with colleagues and executive officers and provided important and innovative feedback. Communicated vision, translating broad organizational goals into concrete objectives, plans, priorities, and assignments.

Coordination, Cooperation, and Collaboration: Coordinated and significantly interfaced with clients, attorneys, investigators, court personnel, and judges in preparing appropriate pleadings and recommendations on strategy in aid of prosecution or defense. Interviewed, examined, cross-examined and deposed witnesses, argued motions before administrative judges, and actively participated in hearings and arbitrations.

Staff Oversight: Provided supervision to other attorney staff members and support staff of professionals when in an Acting capacity or in a Lead attorney role on particular cases. Achieved expected or better-than-expected results by effectively carrying out all established supervisory responsibilities. Performed long- and short-range case planning and efficiently centralized and balanced workload and priorities.

Key Achievements:

• Garnered unblemished litigation/case outcome record, which includes defending Agency in EEO, Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), and arbitration matters. Won multiple cases on Motions for Summary Judgment, Motions to Dismiss, and settled others that had litigation risks favorably for the Agency. Adept at persuading opposing counsel to recognize meritless cases, which were frequently withdrawn or settled.
• Established first training sessions for Fines, Penalties, and Forfeiture Officers and other employees within the trade enforcement group and on Electronic Discovery with the field area (Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington/Dulles).
• Functioned as the Agency’s lead advising attorney on the Agency’s first Reasonable Accommodation Taskforce.
• Served on the multi-member Critical Incident Taskforce, which included members from other law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, state patrol, and local police, along with Assistant U.S. Attorneys and state prosecutors.
• Received Special Act Award for service in both El Paso and Baltimore offices.

Staff Attorney 10/1999 - 09/2000
Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida Hours/week: 40
Miami, FL Salary: $38,000.00 per year
Supervisor: Anna Marie Ellis may contact (305) 349 7300

Court House Legal Perspective: Reviewed county court and general master appeals, post-conviction motions, motions to suppress, judgments of acquittal, petitions for writ of mandamus, petitions for writ of certiorari, and family and juvenile cases, as well as other legal pleadings and pro se correspondence. Attended hearings, oral arguments, and trials on various issues

Judicial-Level Drafting: Drafted appellate opinions, post-conviction orders, guardianship orders, and other orders; researched wide variety of legal issues, i.e., criminal, civil, appellate, family, juvenile, probate, evidentiary, and constitutional issues.

Legal Services: Assisted in preparation of civil legal matters by conducting legal research, writing briefs and opinions, and interviewing clients and other parties. Assisted attorneys who counseled and represented citizens in legal matters involving family law, estate-planning, landlord/tenant law, and tax, bankruptcy, immigration and naturalization, and administrative law.

Key Achievement:

• Drafted decisions and orders, which were adopted and issued by judge with very minimal substantive and editorial changes

EDUCATION

College: University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables, FL
Major field of study: Law
Type and year of degree: Juris Doctor (J.D.), 1999
Honors: Quarter-finalist, Intramural Moot Court Comp, 1996-1997, Managing Editor, University of Miami International & Comparative Law Review
Activities: Association of Caribbean Law Students, Member of the Year 1998-1999, Black Law Students Association, International Law Society

College: Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
Major field of study: Political Science, International Affairs (minor)
Type and year of degree received: Bachelor of Science, 1994
Honors: Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
Activities: Caribbean Students Society; Pre-Law Society

Internships: United States Customs Service, Associate Chief Counsel’s Office, Miami, FL; Hon. Amy Steele Donner, Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Florida House of Representatives, Tallahassee, FL

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

Professional Training/Continuing Legal Education:

Employment Law Briefing, National Employment Law Institute, 03/2009
16th Government Ethics Conference, U.S. Office of Government Ethics, 09/2008
EEOC Excel Conference, EEOC Training Institute, 08/2008
Fourth Circuit Asset Forfeiture Component