Paralegals

Shelia is our legal assistant and docketing clerk. She has close to 30 years in the intellectual property field. Though she primarily supports our trademark disputes and litigation practice areas, her wealth of experience makes her valuable wherever she’s needed.

Shelia graduated from Durham Technical Institute (now Durham Technical Community College), where she earned an A.A.S. degree in Secretarial Science with high honors. She began her career by concentrating on trademark and copyright applications. Her scope expanded to include domestic patent applications as well. Before entering the legal profession, Shelia worked for state and federal government agencies, non-profit groups, and in the banking/finance industry. She has been a North Carolina Notary Public since 1994.

Off hours

Shelia is active in her church, Mount Level Missionary Baptist Church. She is also an avid reader and loves action movies.

Jodie is a Trademark Paralegal in our Trademark Group. She has over 35 years of experience in the legal field and over 15 years working in all areas of Intellectual Property. Though she primarily supports our trademark group, she also has vast experience in corporate law, including contracts and licensing, and a few years of experience in the field of criminal defense.

Jodie graduated from Bryant and Stratton Business Institute in Syracuse, NY, where she earned an A.O.S. degree in Secretarial Science with highest honors. She relocated to Florida and began her career working as a Registrar of Florida Technical College.  She turned her focus to the legal area and worked for the City of Orlando Legal Department until she relocated to Charlotte, NC.   Once she arrived in Charlotte, she focused her career on corporate law, which expanded to include becoming a Trademark Administrator. She has been a North Carolina Notary Public since 1996 and was a Florida Notary Public before that.

Off hours

Jodie is an avid fan of the New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, and NY Giants.  In the Summer she can usually be found outside – either in the pool or planting flowers.  She is also notorious among friends, family, and co-workers for her love of baking – especially her Christmas cookies.

Shannon is a paralegal with more than twenty years of experience as an administrative and legal assistant.  She primarily supports the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board practice at Olive & Olive.

A native of southern Wisconsin, Shannon relocated with her family to the foothills of North Carolina when she was a teenager.  She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and a proud Tar Heel fan.  She loves living in Durham with her partner, Carolyn, their sweet pitbull mix, Maggie Mae, and their crazy cat, Scout.

Off hours

Shannon’s hobbies include genealogy, baking, tennis, trivia, and watching the UNC Volleyball, Soccer, and Basketball teams, the Green Bay Packers, and the Durham Bulls.

Joe wears lots of hats at Olive & Olive. As a paralegal, he focuses on patents but is skilled in all practice areas. As our chief draftsperson, he supervises the technical drawings required for patent and trademark applications and litigation. He is also our Assistant Administrator, and he oversees the maintenance and upkeep of our office building.

Joe graduated from Durham Industrial Education Center (A.D. Drafting and Design Technology) and Durham Technical Institute (A.A.S. Paralegal Technology, High Honors). He is a member of the NC Bar Association’s Legal Assistants Division and is certified by the NC State Bar Board of Paralegal Certification.

Joe and his wife are the proud parents of three grown children and three grandchildren. His grandson (aka Number 1 Buddy) is in high school, and his two granddaughters (twins) are in elementary school. He loves animals, especially his Aussie Doodle (Bailey).

Off hours

Joe enjoys spending time with his family, taking care of his yard and tending his small garden (as if he didn’t already have enough to do!).

Erin has for more than 20 years worked in all areas of our practice: from trademark, copyright and patent applications to contracts and litigation. She has a particular passion for protecting and enforcing our client’s rights.

Erin was one of the first Certified Paralegals in North Carolina, and she was an early member of the NC Bar Association’s Legal Assistants Division. Erin is the first and only legal assistant who has been honored to serve as president of the Durham Orange Women Attorneys and Vice President of Durham’s Young Lawyers Division. She has also been a member of the Durham Bar Association’s Public Service Committee, was Chair of the Paralegal Division of the NC Advocates for Justice (NCAJ), Vice-Chair and CLE Chairs of the NCAJ Small Office Practice Section, Liaison for the Commercial Litigation Section of NCAJ, a member of the education, membership and ethics committees of NCAJ, and a member of the education committee for the NC Association of Women Attorneys.

A graduate of Brown University (Mid-East Studies) with a focus on Islam and Islamic Law, Erin’s thesis for that degree focused on International Law and its applicability to Palestinians. She has continued her educational activities by teaching continuing legal education courses on topics including privacy law, e-discovery, intellectual property, ethics, law office management and technology for numerous groups including paralegal students, new lawyers and local and statewide bar associations.

Off hours

Erin enjoys knitting, designing knitting patterns, and being with her family and Mishka, her Maltese service dog.

Park handles in-house IT and new client intake. He joined us in 2005. Park is responsible for scheduling initial appointments, sending out forms, and screening for conflicts of interest. Looking to become a client? Park is the one who’ll answer your questions and address your concerns.

Park also makes sure our computer hardware and software are top-line and secure so that your case will be handled expertly and your information will be kept safe. He provides paralegal assistance to our attorneys and clients, particularly in matters that involve computer software or require online research and investigation.

Park attended Bucknell University before going to India for a four-month walk-about to take his various computer certification tests (MCDBA, MCSE, etc.). His studies prepared him well to handle the IT side of things for our firm. Having an intellectual property litigator for a mother didn’t hurt, either. Park enjoys helping clients start off right in their relationship with our firm. He is the one who gently directs people with real estate questions to the right place, and he has gotten quite good at tactfully telling people that no, we can’t help them patent the paper clip.

Off hours

Park enjoys a good book and exploring the local food scene. Though he tends to hide the fact that he participates competitively in a variety of massive multiplayer online games, he’s more than happy to tell you about the best Durham chocolatier (Miel Bon Bons) or where to go for biscuits (Rise if you’re sticking to Durham, your options go up if venturing outside), and he loves introducing the office to unusual food holidays (such as national ice cream day or national pi day.)