Kim Harris

Staff Guardian ad Litem in Carver County from October 2019 to present

• Advocating for the children’s best interests in child abuse and neglect matters in juvenile court
• Monthly observations of children in home and other settings to document interactions with caretakers, peers, and others
• Compilation of accurate, precise, and factual findings, conclusions, and recommendations regarding the child’s best interests within the context of their family and community
• Gathering information, investigating allegations, and interviewing the involved parties and collateral contacts
• Writing and editing court reports summarizing my analysis of the situation and my concerns
• Presenting written and verbal recommendations to the Court

• Advised the City Council on approximately 5-7 matters per month involving development and use of parks and recreation facilities, leisure services, recreation programming, preservation of natural resources and promotion of environmental awareness
• Completed three year volunteer term
• Used critical thinking to break down problems, evaluate solutions and make decisions.

• Cared for and nurtured three amazing children
• Contributed to discussions in parent education meetings in weekly Early Child and Family Education classes
• Organized weekly playgroups and planned events for local Moms Offering Moms Support Club
• Organized and managed household
• Demonstrated leadership skills in managing projects from concept to completion.
• Passionate about learning and committed to continual improvement.
• Self-motivated, with a strong sense of personal responsibility.

• Reviewed over 100 documents daily for large-scale litigation matters
• Reviewed and analyzed documents for legal responsiveness, importance, privilege and confidentially and wrote reports on my findings

• Advocated for clients in family law matters including dissolutions of marriage, custody disputes and appeals
• Conducted legal research and interpreted case law and statutes
• Analyzed cases and applied the law to the facts
• Wrote and edited appellate briefs, memorandums, motions, affidavits, court orders and other legal documents
• Consulted with clients, communicated with the court and negotiated with opposing counsel
• Organized case files and tracked details and deadlines for cases

• Interviewed criminal defendants while in custody and explained the criminal process and their legal rights
• Responded to clients’ inquiries and advised them of their legal options
• Negotiated with prosecutors and drafted plea agreements
• Represented indigent criminal defendants in court proceedings, entered pleas for misdemeanors represented clients at probation violation hearings, delivered bail arguments