Faculty & Staff - Online Paralegal Training - Paralegal Courses

MARK GELLER

Mark Geller, Esq., director of National Paralegal College, began his legal career in 1981 at the law firm of Shea & Gould, one of the top ten law firms in New York. Early in his legal career, he established himself as a specialist in legal procedure and law office management. With his experience in big-firm litigation, Mr. Geller launched Legal Data Systems, Inc. ("LDS"), a company that specialized in automated litigation case management systems for the law firm. In 1983 Mr. Geller sold LDS to The New York Law Publishing Company, publishers of The New York Law Journal, National Law Journal, Law Journal Seminars Press, Jury Verdict Reporter and many other legal newspapers throughout the United States. As vice president of the New York Law Publishing Company, Mr. Geller headed Law Journal Information Systems ("LJIS"). Mr. Geller’s software has become the industry standard for cutting edge case management automation. Mr. Geller's division provided over 200 of the most prestigious law firms in the United States with critical data online via proprietary case management software.

During this time, Mr. Geller personally supervised the training of thousands of paralegals as well. The following is a representative sampling of law firms and organizations whose staff have been trained by Mr. Geller:

Legal Enterprises and Law Firms

Baer Marks & Upham LLP
Bragar Wexler Eagel & Morgenstern, LLP
Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner LLP
Burlingham Underwood, LLP
Cahill Gordon & Reindel
Carter, Ledyard & Milburn
Chadbourne & Parke LLP
Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton
Clifford Chance Rogers & Wells LLP
Covington & Burling
Cravath, Swaine & Moore
Davis Polk & Wardwell
Day Casebeer Madrid & Batchelder
Debevoise & Plimpton
Dewey Ballantine LLP
Duane, Morris & Heckscher, LLP
Fischbein, Badillo, Wagner & Harding
Fixler & Associates LLP
Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger & Vecchione PC
Jones Day Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman LLP
Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
Kirkland & Ellis
Kramer Levin Kurzman Karelsen & Frank, LLP
London & Doherty LLP
Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw, LLP
McDermott, Will & Emery
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP
Morrison Cohen Singer & Weinstein, LLP
Morrison & Foerster LLP
Naftalis & Frankel LLP
Ohrenstein & Brown, LLP
O'Melveny & Myers
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison, LLP
Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler, LLP
Piper Marbury Rudnick & Wolfe LLP
Proskauer Rose LLP
Robinson Silverman Pearce Aronsohn & Berman LLP
Ropes & Gray
Saretsky Katz Dranoff & Glass, LLP
Schneider, Kleinick, Weitz, Damashek & Shoot
Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP
Seyfarth Shaw
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Sullivan & Cromwell
Thacher Proffitt & Wood
Thelen Reid & Priest LLP
Warshaw Burstein Cohen Schlesinger & Kuh, LLP
Zeichner Ellman & Krause LLP

Agencies

Department of Justice
Long Island Rail Road New York City Law Department
New York State Office of the Attorney General
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

Corporations

CBS, Inc.
Kemper Insurance
Miller Parker, Inc.
The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A.

In 1994, Mr. Geller founded the law firm of Geller, Stein & Associates, P.C. The firm specializes in real estate, general and personal injury litigation. Today, the firm boasts a staff consisting of 7 attorneys and 22 paralegals and support staff. Mr. Geller is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, the United States District Court for the Western District of New York, and New York State Courts. He is a member of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, The New York State Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

AVI KATZ

Avi Katz, president of National Paralegal College, received his MBA degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and has practiced as a certified public accountant. He brings the perspective of the business world to NPC’s curriculum and teaching method. Avi has 20 years of experience in corporate management and software development.

DAVID COHEN

David Cohen, student services director of National Paralegal College, is a graduate of the Management and Technology Program of the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a degree in management from the Wharton School and a degree in computer and telecommunications engineering from the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

STEPHEN HAAS

Stephen Haas, Esq., education director of National Paralegal College since 2003, graduated from Pace University School of Law, where he ranked in the top three percent of his class and served as a senior member of the Pace Law Review. Stephen has extensive law practice experience, mostly in the areas of estate planning and elder law and has taught in many different capacities. He has also worked at the United States Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York (federal prosecutor’s office) in White Plains, New York, and at the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office. Stephen is currently working on a college textbook entitled "Trust Preparation for Paralegals."

ERIC MARTINEZ

Eric Martinez, Esq., is a graduate of Florida International University College of Law. Prior to law school, he attended Hanover College (IN) where he earned degrees in Business Administration and Philosophy. Eric currently works as Corporate Counsel for Assurant Inc., a Fortune 500 company, where he specializes in federal and state regulatory compliance. He is an active member of the Florida Bar Association.

JESSICA BORDEN

Jessica Borden, Esq., graduated with a B.A. in philosophy from Emory University, and went on to earn a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she was an Associate Editor of the Constitutional Law Journal. She is admitted to the bar in New York, Connecticut and Florida. Jessica practiced litigation at Willkie Farr and Gallagher LLP, real estate law at Schiff Hardin LLP and inhouse product liability law at a large Connecticut-based pharmaceutical company. Additionally, she now tutors the SATs in Fairfield County, CT. In her spare time, Jessica is an avid knitter who enjoys games, puzzles and spending time with her family and friends.

ERIC BAIME

Eric Baime, Esq. graduated from prestigious Cornell University with a B.A. in government. Since then, Eric has earned his M.B.A. from University of Miami and his J.D. from Shepard Broad Law Center. Eric is a professional and highly experienced educator, having taught at more than ten colleges and universities. Eric brings his fiery personality and passion for teaching to the classroom and enjoys active participation and contributions from students.

MATT BYCER

Matt Bycer, Esq. holds a JD and MBA from the University of Arizona and a Bachelor’s degree in Physics and Business Economics from Brown University in Providence, RI. Matt’s legal work experience has focused mainly on intellectual property law. He has worked for Accenture in Boston, MA, and for Cahill Glazer, PLC, a prominent intellectual property law firm in Phoenix. Matt has also served as a federal court law clerk for Hon. Stephen N. McNamee in the District of Arizona. In addition to teaching for NPC, Matt continues to run his own intellectual property focused law practice.

DEANNA (DeDe) SANDLER

DeDe Sandler, Esq. earned her J.D. from City University of New York School of Law and subsequently earned her M.S. in social work from Columbia University. She also holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Syracuse University. When not teaching for NPC, DeDe hones her litigation skills as a deputy legal defender for the public defender’s office in Phoenix. She has also worked for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and various private law firms. DeDe is also a Peace Corps member and an accomplished social worker.

HOWARD LEIB

Howard Leib, Esq. is an attorney with over twenty five years experience in intellectual property law, entertainment law and general corporate law. He has represented clients such as KISS, Whitney Houston, Bobby McFerrin, and Judy Collins as well as corporations such as Atlantic Records, Universal Entertainment, and Rhino Entertainment. Howard carved out a niche for himself in the area of children’s entertainment, and has been called America’s leading children’s entertainment attorney by Billboard Magazine. In addition to the practice of law, Howard has taught for New York University, Fashion Institute of Technology, Kaplan University and Kaplan Test Prep. He has produced CDs and DVDs, usually related to comedy or television. He is active in the New York Democratic Lawyers Association, working to protect and expand voter rights. He is chair emeritus of the Cardozo School of Law alumni association and a past member of Cardozo’s Board of Trustees. Howard lives in Ithaca, NY, where he moved after a lifetime in and around New York City, to be with his fiancee.

ELLIS WASHINGTON

Ellis Washington, Esq. has a J.D. from John Marshall School of Law, a Master’s Degree from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s degree from De Pauw University in Indiana. He has legal experience working for law firms and companies such as Kirkland & Ellis (Chicago), Paul, Hastings Janofsky and Walker (Atlanta) and Ford Motor Co. He also served as an editor of the Michigan Law Review and law clerk at The Rutherford Institute. He has significant college level teaching experience and he has worked extensively as political radio talk show host and columnist. Ellis has written extensively on constitutional law, history, politics, philosophy, critical race theory and other subjects.

REENA GREEN

Reena Green, Esq., is a graduate of Pace University School of Law. After attending law school she worked at Business Licenses, LLC, where she focused on investigating federal, state and local licensing ordinances and regulations to determine business and financial requirements for large, publicly-held corporations. Reena has also written several articles concerning bioethics which were published in the science journal sponsored by her undergraduate university, Stern College for Women.

RENANA FARBSTEIN

Renana Farbstein, Esq. graduated cum laude from New York University with a B.A. in History. She then went to work as a legal assistant at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom in New York City. Deciding to pursue a career as an attorney, she attended Cornell Law School and graduated with a concentration in Business Law and Regulation. Renana worked for a number of prestigious New York City law firms on commercial litigation matters in the financial and pharmaceutical sectors. She is admitted to the bar in New York and New Jersey.

LISA UVA

Lisa Uva, Esq. earned her Juris Doctor from Duquesne University, her Masters in English from East Carolina University and a Double BA from University of Pittsburgh in Criminal Justice and Legal Studies. She also completed a certification in Mediation and Conflict Resolution. Lisa has been a college professor for 10 years and has extensive experience teaching online and in physical classrooms. Lisa’s other previous jobs have included internal affairs investigator; law clerk, 911 emergency dispatcher, correctional officer, private investigator and armed guard. Lisa also volunteers for the Center for Victims of Violence and Crime. Lisa is also the happy grandmother of three and makes home for a myriad of pets.

KEYSHA KNIGHTS

Keysha Knights, Esq. is a cum laude graduate of Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia, and a graduate of Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan. As a law student, Keysha was the recipient of the Thomas M. Cooley Alumni Memorial Scholarship, The Sixty Plus Elderlaw Clinic J&B Metros Scholarship, and the ABA/BarBri Bar Review Scholarship. She also served as the Senior Articles Editor and the Senior Research Editor of the Thomas M. Cooley Law Journal, and won the Award of Excellence for her work in these editorial positions. Additionally, Keysha served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Docket News Magazine. Previously, Keysha practiced civil litigation in mid-sized firms in the areas of county government law and juvenile law. In 2010, she opened the doors of Knights Law Group and is currently in private practice handling cases in the areas of family law, personal injury, and immigration. Keysha enjoys traveling, reading, and spending quality time with her family and friends. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

JAY LIPMAN

Jay Lipman, Esq. received his J.D. from New York University School of Law. He practiced as an associate for White & Case, L.L.P., a large Manhattan law firm. Mr. Lipman founded and runs Test Your Best, a leading Connecticut tutoring service dedicated to assisting people with test preparation and college, law school, and business school admission. He has extensive teaching and tutoring experience, including years of experience working for Kaplan Test Prep as an instructor and teacher trainer. Mr. Lipman also served as an adjunct professor for the Legal Studies program at Fairfield University and is actively involved in pro bono work both as an attorney and as a teacher.

REBECCA RUBIN

Rebecca Rubin, Esq. is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Washington University School of Law. She is an associate at White, Fleischner & Fino, in New York City, and her practice consists mainly of insurance coverage work. She has also served as a pro bono attorney for inMotion, Inc., a domestic violence non-profit organization. As a law student, Rebecca was an executive articles editor of the Global Studies Law Review. Additionally, she was named co-editor of a book titled "Protecting Free Speech and Expression" with Professor Daniel Mandelker of Washington University School of Law. During her free time, Rebecca enjoys traveling, running and taking advantage of all that New York City has to offer.

HASKELL ROSENFELD

Haskell Rosenfeld, Esq. has a J.D. from Pace University School of Law. He has served as a law clerk for the Rockland County Surrogate’s Court. He also has extensive experience as a study group organizer and leader.

SOPHIEA BAILEY

Sophiea Bailey, Esq. graduated from Howard University after being awarded multiple merit scholarships for her attendance. During her law school career, she contributed to multiple published law review articles. Since graduating, she has served for ten years as an Assistant State Attorney in the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office where she has tried more than 100 cases. Sophiea has also worked for the Federal Trade Commission and has taught at Atlantic Union College in South Lancaster, MA.

EVE ROSENBAUM

Eve Rosenbaum holds a M.F.A. in Creative Writing from American University and an M.A. in English from the University of Iowa, where she is currently completing her Ph.D. Her dissertation focuses on writers living and working in Washington, D.C., during the Civil War, and she is the recipient of research fellowships from the Capitol Historical Society and the White House Historical Society for her work. She served as managing editor for American Spirit, the award-winning magazine produced by the Daughters of the American Revolution, and has published poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction in anthologies and literary journals including the Brooklyn Review, Potomac Review, Cortland Review, and Reconfigurations. She is currently the managing editor for the Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies.

LISA PIMBER

Lisa Pimber, Financial Aid Director of National Paralegal College, has over 13 years of financial aid experience. Lisa’s enthusiasm for financial aid, allows her to explain and assist students with their needs and understanding of financial aid. The student’s success and graduation is her foremost priority. Lisa is currently obtaining her Bachelors in Business Management at American Public University.

MAGGIE PROBST

Maggie Probst holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University. She graduated from National Paralegal College in 2004 and was certified by the National Association of Legal Assistants in 2005. Maggie’s writing and research skills have been honed by working as a producer/writer in the film and video business for over 25 years. During her career, she has written and researched nationally televised documentary series and various commercial and corporate productions. From 1999 to 2003 she managed the film and video department for the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee, overseeing projects created for marketing, training, image and instruction. As a producer, she has become a recognized expert in ensuring compliance with legal requirements and contractual issues including intellectual property, unions/guilds and contracts in the video and film industry. Maggie currently works as a freelance paralegal and runs her own video/film production company.

LAYA COHEN

Laya Cohen, assistant student services director of National Paralegal College, earned her BA in humanities from Thomas Edison State College. She has over 12 years of office administration experience. Laya grew up in a military family and has seen much of the world. Her experience, along with her personable nature, allows Laya to meet the needs of our student body and faculty.

RUTH EASTMAN

Ruth Eastman, assistant student services director of National Paralegal College, served in the US military prior to working in educational administration for 30 years. Currently working as a writer and editor, Ruth enjoys counseling students too much to stay away from the academic environment for long. Ruth finds our students’ success and feelings of accomplishment to be of primary importance.

ABRAHAM BRANDER

Abraham Brander holds a Master’s degree in accounting from Farleigh Dickenson University in New Jersey having graduated with a perfect 4.0 Grade Point Average. He has coordinated and managed educational programs, including taking responsibility for educational and financial factors.

CONNIE ERPELDING

Connie Erpelding earned her Associate’s Degree from National Paralegal College in 2008 with a 4.0 Grade Point Average. Prior to attending NPC, she served as a registered nurse for thirty years. She also holds Bachelor’s Degrees from the University of Wisconsin and Marcy Psychiatric Center School of Nursing in New York. Connie brings her enthusiasm for law and for assisting people together as director of NPC’s student mentoring program.

ANNE LEWIS

Anne Lewis earned her paralegal certificate from National Paralegal College in 2010 with a 4.0 Grade Point Average and successfully took the CLA/CP exam shortly thereafter. Anne has about ten years of experience working as a paralegal and holds a B.A. in English from Linfield College. Anne assists both in mentoring new students and in assisting students in studying for the CLA/CP exam.

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