Executive Management
The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin was founded in 1997 to help injured people receive the compensation the law provides. The firm has since grown from the two employees and 30 clients we started with to more than 100 employees and thousands of clients. Behind the scenes, our management team keeps our firm running smoothly by managing our diverse practice areas and experienced and professional staff departments, as well as by handling our accounting, administration, call center, and operational functions.
Executive Management
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Eric Sanchez *
Chief Operating Officer
Eric Sanchez is the Chief Operating Officer, and he is the longest serving staff member at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin, having served the firm and its clients for more than 10 years. In that time, Eric has seen the firm grow from six employees to more than 125 and from a few hundred clients to thousands. As the head of operations, Eric is always mindful of the reasons the firm was created — to provide excellent legal representation coupled with superior client service. He has served as the architect for many of the firm's internal systems which enable the firm to effectively administer cases ranging from personal injury cases to intellectual property and mass/class actions cases involving tens of thousands of clients.
Client Service
His most meaningful client interaction occurred shortly after the firm took a leading role in one of the largest civil rights cases in United States History: In re Black Farmers Discrimination Litigation, Case No. 08-mc-0511 (PLF) (D.D.C.). The case deals with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) discrimination against African-American farmers from across the United States. Eric has had the privilege of traveling across the deep South and met many of the firm's clients. At one meeting in Birmingham, Alabama, Eric met four men, all of whom had similar stories about being denied benefits from the USDA simply because of their color. One of the men was 103 years old.
"That's when it hit me — I was face to face with a man who had seen a century's worth of racism," Eric said. "He'd been through it and he witnessed his son, grandson and great-grandson go through the same thing. I have never forgotten that moment. Even if those clients don't recover anything on their individual claims, I know our firm is a part of righting a great and historic injustice."
Community Service
One of the best parts of the firm's culture is the desire to give back to the community. Perhaps the most special is that of Duke Children's Hospital. At six-weeks old, Eric's daughter was diagnosed with a heart defect which required open heart surgery. The successful surgery was performed at Duke Children's Hospital. James Scott Farrin's continued support is one small way the firm gives back to this important part of the community. Eric also serves on the USO of NC Raleigh-Durham Airport Center Council. The USO of North Carolina is a private, nonprofit organization with the mission to serve and support America's military and their families.
Military Service
One of the accomplishments of which Eric is most proud is his service as a non-commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps. In addition to training in infantry tactics, and hand-to-hand combat training, Eric also earned an Expert Marksmanship Badge which is the highest level of marksmanship awarded by the U.S. Marine Corps. After graduating from multiple military electronics schools, Eric served as an aviation electrician, which necessitated his holding a classified clearance. Eric received his Honorable Discharge after serving a total of eight years of both active and reserve service.
Education and Professional Memberships
Eric received his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration from the California State University — East Bay and has done graduate work in psychology and theology both in the United States and Canada. Eric is a member of American Association for Justice, North Carolina Advocates for Justice, Association of Legal Administrators, Raleigh Durham Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators, Marine Corps Association, and is a formerly licensed adjuster.
Personal
In addition to spending time with his family, Eric is an avid fitness enthusiast and enjoys running and weightlifting.
* Eric Sanchez is not a person admitted to practice law in any jurisdiction.
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David Chamberlin *
Director of Human Resources and Marketing
David Chamberlin is the Director of Marketing and Human Resources. He is in charge of accurately communicating the firm's mission of providing excellent legal services coupled with exceptional customer service to both internal and external audiences.
His marketing responsibilities center around establishing both short-and long-range strategic plans and budgets to guide an extensive network of TV, Internet, print and direct mail channels, as well as client relations management initiatives. His key responsibilities related to human resource management include developing and implementing strategic goals and initiatives, preparing and administering the firm's wage and salary program, maintaining knowledge of industry trends and employment legislation, and advising department managers on personnel matters.
David joined the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin in 2007. Prior to his current position, he served as the firm's Director of Administration and Human Resources. Among his many accomplishments are launching new TV campaigns in all of the firm's major markets, improved monitoring of the firm's marketing initiatives and enhancement of the firm's benefit program.
David received his Bachelor of Science degree in health administration from Ithaca College in his hometown of Ithaca, N.Y., and his Masters in Business Administration from Regis University in Denver, Co. Prior to his work at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin, David served as an Executive Director at Capital Senior Living.
"I'm proud of the firm's dedication to providing excellent legal representation and exceptional customer service. I enjoy communicating that message to potential clients through our marketing channels, as well as working with individual employees to help them reach their highest potential.â€
David is a member of multiple professional associations, including the Association of Legal Administrators, Raleigh Durham Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators, and Society for Human Resource Management. He is a formerly licensed Assisted Living Home administrator.
* David Chamberlin is not a person admitted to practice law in any jurisdiction.
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Mark Straniero *
Controller
Mark Straniero is the Controller at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin. He is responsible for financial and cash flow management, scrutinizing expense reports and processing payroll.
Mark joined the firm in 2007. Among his many accomplishments are building a monthly management financial report package which increased the detail and specificity of information used to make financial decisions, improving the annual budgeting process to provide extremely accurate forecasting, and implementing Remote Deposit Capture to reduce client wait time for settlement disbursals.
Mark has 15 years of experience as a Controller in upscale restaurants, where he had both managerial and accounting responsibilities. He also has five years of experience in operations and financial management within the action sports e-commerce/retail industry. He has a B.S. in accounting from Western Michigan University.
This combination of operations and accounting experience allows Mark to identify trends that basic accountants might miss, preventing problems before they arise.
"Most accountants have never been involved in an organizations operations," he said. "By understanding a businesses from an operational standpoint, I am better able to analyze the numbers, prepare reports and give a realistic picture of what is going on in the firm. This translates into better service to our attorneys — which directly translates into better service to our clients.â€
* Mark Straniero is not a person admitted to practice law in any jurisdiction.
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Melody Blomberg*
Client Relations Manager Melody Blomberg is the Client Relations Manager at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin. She has been with the firm since 2003. Her responsibilities include many aspects of client relations and client advocacy, including developing and administering the firm's customer service training programs.
Melody learned the importance of customer service as a young adult working in and then managing retail stores. Her 28 years of formal customer service experience also includes 15 years providing customer service for a manufactured and modular home dealership and three years providing customer service training for new business owners at a nationwide franchise development company.
Melody takes great pride in the firm's high client satisfaction ratings, which are constantly increasing.
"As the mother of four kids, I learned patience, how to deal with different personalities and how to think on my feet. But I was like that before I became a mom; it is just who I am. That kind of personality is what makes me good at my job here.â€
* Melody Blomberg is not a person admitted to practice law in any jurisdiction
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