Vanessa Buffington
Vanessa Buffington is a certified paralegal and the owner of NextGen Legal, offering legal training services to individuals and law firms throughout California. She has been part of LPI’s instruction team since 2017, and a legal professional for over 25 years. Vanessa is the instructor for the following courses:
- Beginning Legal Secretarial Training
- Overview of California State Discovery
- Trial Preparation
- Advanced Discovery
- Appellate/Federal Procedure
She also teaches various training webinars throughout the year.
June Hunter
June Hunter is a Technical Enablement Lead with CS DISCO, as well as an adjunct instructor for U.C. San Diego Extension’s ABA Approved Paralegal Studies Program. She has been LPI’s Legal Technology Trainer since 2021. June’s technology training includes classes covering:
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Adobe
- eDiscovery
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Excel
- Best Authority
- Tips and Tricks
Lynne Prescott, CCLS
Lynne Prescott, CCLS, is LPI’s Legal Education Instructor and has been a legal professional for nearly 40 years. She served as the President of LPI from 2020-2022, and is also a writer, speaker, and experienced trainer. She is employed with the law offices of Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP.
She teaches beginning level courses at the local association level, and is the instructor for the following LPI University courses:
- Intermediate Legal Professionals Training
- Advanced Legal Professionals Training
- Federal Court Practice
Lynne also teaches a variety of training and legal education webinars and seminars.
Bethany S. Ensz, M.S.
Bethany S. Ensz, M.S., is a Legal Research and Analysis instructor at UCSD Division of Extended Studies. She previously worked as a corporate paralegal and office manager at Breakwater Law Group, LLP, and held positions at Sheppard Mullin and McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP (now Dentons). Bethany holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology from Indiana University and an M.S. in Legal Studies from the University of San Diego School of Law. She earned her paralegal certificate from UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies, where she was inducted into the LEX Honor Society. She is also a Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
Bethany teaches:
- Legal Research – Using the Internet
- Legal Writing
- Shepardizing
- Federal & State Court Systems
- Citations (a two-part class)
- Corporate Law
- Ethics and Trust Accounting
- Competence/Mental Health
Vivian Shreve, CCLS
Vivian Shreve, CCLS, has been a legal secretary/assistant for more than 40 years and has been an Executive Assistant at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosato in Palo Alto since 2008. She currently serves as LPI’s CCLS Chair and is a former Chair of the California Certified Legal Secretary Certifying Board.
Vivian currently teaches the CCLS Online Study Group, helping examinees prepare for the CCLS Exam.
Carmen Vasques
Carmen Vasques has worked as a legal professional for over 30 years. She began her career as a file clerk and translator in 1992, and joined the Law Offices of C. Kent Stephens in 2000, which later became Stephens & Stephens LLP, where she has worked for the past 24 years. She specializes in probate, estate planning, trust administration, civil, transactional, and business law.
Carmen currently teaches the Probate for Beginners class.
Sheila Grela
Sheila Grela is a seasoned litigation paralegal with an Advanced Certified Paralegal (ACP) designation in eDiscovery. She earned her paralegal certificate with honors from the ABA-approved USD Paralegal Program and was honored with the prestigious 2022 Gayle O’Connor GO Spirit Award.
She co-leads the innovative “Virtual Lunch with Leaders” series—a collaborative weekly program with SDPA, EDRM, and Practice Aligned Resources—designed to foster meaningful conversations with trailblazing industry leaders. She is currently employed with the Buchalter firm in San Diego.
Sheila’s classes focus on discovery, eDiscovery, and electronically stored information (ESI).
TESTIMONIALS
Vanessa is at the top of her craft. I have three months to learn litigation by shadowing other litigation secretaries who also have their own work to do. It gets overwhelming! But, just the one hour under Vanessa’s tutelage gave me a boost of energy and confidence to keep on keeping on. She also left us with a super informative handout . Bless you, Vanessa! Take care. -Lenora Royal
Lenora Royal
Office of Oakland City Attorney’s Office
As an attorney, having never practiced in federal court before, I recently had a case removed to the Central District. When I saw the Federal Court Practice series advertised by LPI, I immediately jumped on it as I was in dire need of some type of road map to follow. I also encouraged my entire litigation support staff (my 4 paralegals) to sign up, all of which were enthusiastic to expand their legal knowledge in this area. Lynne Prescott is a great instructor and provided us with a lot of useful information that is incredibly invaluable to someone having zero federal court practice experience. We were provided with samples that are extremely helpful when you are trying to navigate the federal courts going in blind. I encourage all legal professionals, attorneys AND support staff to sign up for this series. You will NOT regret it.
Fantastic webinar! Lots a great information. Hearing those little tips as to how the clerks and court prefer things is so helpful, along with the common mistakes made. Beth is amazing, so knowledgable.
Brandy R.
I completed both the Intermediate and the Advanced Legal Professionals Training Courses, and I can confidently say they were extremely valuable to my professional development. The courses were well-structured, practical, and thoughtfully designed to build both foundational knowledge and advanced legal skills. The instructor was knowledgeable, engaging, and supportive, and the real-world examples made the learning highly relevant and immediately applicable to my work. These courses significantly improved my confidence and competence as a legal professional. I would highly recommend these courses to anyone looking to advance their legal career.
Maria Gonzales, CCLS
The Intermediate and Advanced Legal Professionals Training Courses have had a meaningful impact on my work and overall professional growth. The training deepened my understanding of legal procedures, and Lynne has a remarkable ability to make complex topics easy to grasp. Her teaching style is engaging, supportive, and truly effective. The hands‑on exercises—especially the in‑class games and homework—made the material stick and helped strengthen my technical and analytical skills.
On a personal level, I’ve become more efficient and confident in handling day‑to‑day responsibilities. I also gained clearer insight into best practices and new tools, which expanded the types of tasks I’m able to take on.
These courses have also benefited our office as a whole. Because the curriculum emphasizes consistency, communication, and updated processes, our team now enjoys smoother workflows, reduced errors, and better collaboration. Having a shared foundation of training has made it easier for us to support one another and solve problems together.
From a career perspective, the courses have increased my readiness for additional responsibilities and opened new pathways for advancement. They strengthened both my technical capabilities and my understanding of broader organizational goals, allowing me to align my work more strategically. I’m truly grateful for the value these courses—and Lynne’s guidance—have added to my development as a legal professional.
Christie Kaelber, CCLS
THIS WAS BY FAR —-
I MEAN BY FARRRRRRRRR———
THE BEST CLASS I’VE TAKEN YET!!!
I love how she got right down to business and even made me laugh a few times with her personality!!
Carol Young
Legal Assistant
Legal Professional Inc.’s California Certified Legal Secretary Online Study Group was extremely well‑organized and informative. The instructor was knowledgeable, supportive, and clearly invested in the success of each participant. The study materials were comprehensive and aligned closely with the exam content, which helped me feel confident and well‑prepared on exam day. I would highly recommend this program to anyone pursuing CCLS certification.
Christie Kaelber, CCLS