Tag Archive for: Legal Support Manager

Photo of Legal Support Manager Tonya Bailey for Black History Month. The Hall of Justice building is in the background of the photo.

Meet Legal Support Manager Tonya Bailey

In honor of Black History Month, which is celebrated throughout the month of February, the DA’s Office is featuring stories of employees and what inspired them to pursue a career in public service.

Meet Legal Support Manager Tonya Bailey, who was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee.  Her family is a military family, so before joining the DA’s Office she was in Manama, Bahrain where she was a director of the Child Development Center. Tonya joined our office in 2007 as an Interim Clerk (Office Assistant) and she is currently the Legal Support Manager at the North County Branch. In her current role, she manages the overall operations of the North County Regional Center, ensuring staff growth and development. The North County Branch receives cases from approximately 12 law enforcement agencies in the area.

During her free time, Tonya loves to sing and spend time with her family. “My faith in God is the priority of my life, and I enjoy using my gifts and talents to bless others,” she said. “I have fostered 7 children and adopted 3; I have worked with many other children during the past 20 years to help them overcome the challenges that they face and find renewed hope for their future.”

What inspired you to choose a career in law enforcement/at the DA’s Office?  

“The main reason I was inspired to work at the DA’s office is my strong belief and commitment to justice. I believe that one of the necessary requirements to living a life of peace and freedom is justice. Where there is no justice, the people suffer and live in fear. I am thankful for the opportunity to work in a profession that is dedicated to serving the community through instilling law and order.”

What is your favorite part of the job?  

“I love to mentor, inspire, and observe the growth and development of our staff. I enjoy watching people obtain success at every level in the workplace and become confident and thrive in their chosen profession.”

What does Black History Month mean to you, why is it important to you? 

“Black History Month helps us to remember and recognize the accomplishments of the black community throughout history that are often overlooked. From history, we have many black leaders that dedicated their life to freedom, justice, and the fair treatment of all people. These ideals are based on the Bible, that all men are created in the image of God and that every man has a God created purpose and plan. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who often risked and ultimately gave up his life so that all people will be seen as a person and not labeled according to the color of their skin stated, ‘That men should be judged by their character and not by the color of their skin.’ These ideals should be important to us all and should be fought for in a peaceful manner. Lastly, Black History Month to me also highlights what great things we as human beings can accomplish when we embrace our differences as such and not as right or wrong. When we work together as a human race and respect each other and treat each other with love and care. Abraham Lincoln stated, ‘That all men are created equal.’ I believe that Black History Month should serve as a reminder of who we all are, and that we should all strive to become a better ‘united’ us.”

 

 

Meet Legal Support Manager Maria Garlejo

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which is observed throughout the month of May, we are featuring stories of DA employees, what inspired them to pursue a career in public service and their contributions at the DA’s Office.

Meet Legal Support Manager Maria Garlejo, who has been with the DA’s Office for 18 years.  She began her career in the office as an Intermediate Clerk in our North County Branch, then she transferred to the Hall of Justice in 2021 when she promoted to Legal Support Supervisor II in the Superior Court Division – Records Unit. As a supervisor she led a team of 8-10 support staff; Office Assistants, Legal Support Assistants, and Student Workers, and provided training for each desk in the unit. She made sure to motivate staff to always do their best in their assignments and encouraged professional growth. Just recently, Maria was promoted to Legal Support Manager.

“I am very excited to start this new chapter and opportunity in my career with the DA’s office,” she said.   

When she’s not busy working, you might see her spending a lot of time at Disneyland, because she loves “Disney and Mickey Mouse! I have an annual pass and go to Disneyland twice a month with my boys. Thankfully, they too love going and are not getting tired of it.”

Read more about what inspired Maria to pursue a career at the DA’s Office, below.

What inspired you to pursue a career in public service?

“I started at a younger age and honestly at the time, I did not know much about the District Attorney’s office. This was the first department in the County of San Diego to offer me an interview. Other departments offered me positions but it was our office that captured my interest. As my time in the DA’s office grew, I have learned to understand so much about how the justice system is important to the public in pursuing justice and helping victims. I am proud of what the DA’s Office stands for and honored to be part of the DA family. “

Why is AAPI Month important to you?

“AAPI Month is important to me because it recognizes and honors the Asian community, for its culture, traditions and heritage. It also gives our young Asian generation a chance to learn more about AAPI heritage and history, to embrace where their ancestors are from and help understand what being Asian American and Pacific Islander is about.”

Meet Legal Support Manager Gina Peralta

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which is observed throughout the month of May, we are featuring stories of DA employees, what inspired them to pursue a career in public service and their contributions at the DA’s Office.

Meet Legal Support Manager Gina Peralta, who works in multiple divisions, including Economic Crimes, Insurance Fraud and Workplace Justice and Victim Services. She provides support and assistance in the day-to-day operations to all Deputy DAs, DA Investigators, Paralegals and clerical staff. She provides guidance, training, and counseling (when needed) to all clerical staff and motivate them to do well in their various assignments. As an LSM, she takes care of various service and purchasing requests, processing, and submitting new hire LAN accounts, transfers of DA employees as well as outside agency to the IT Department, handling problem resolution and difficult personnel issues. Gina has been with the DA’s Office since 1999. Read more about what inspired Gina to pursue career in law enforcement at the DA’s Office, below.

What inspired you to pursue a career in law enforcement/ at the DA’s Office?

“I believe that our office plays an integral part in keeping the community safe. I’m honored to be part of an organization that protects the innocent and helps the victims gets justice. I’m proud of what our office does and will always support the values and service we give to the San Diego community.”

Why is AAPI Month important to you?

“I’m thankful that our office celebrates AAPI month by recognizing the contribution of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the society. I wish that more people will take the time to learn about our culture and heritage through our traditions, beliefs, music, food, and different languages. I hope that it will encourage everyone to embrace all our differences and promote understanding and respect. Everyone deserves to be valued as a person.”

Read more AAPI stories from the DA’s Office, here.

Meet Legal Support Manager Nathaniel Amarento

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which is observed throughout the month of May, we are featuring stories of DA employees, what inspired them to pursue a career in public service and their contributions at the DA’s Office.

Meet Legal Support Manager Nathaniel Amarento, who began working at the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office in 2005 as a Student Worker. He is currently the Legal Support Manager (LSM) working in the Superior Court Division, Administration, Special Operations and Trial Support Services. As an LSM, he works behind the scenes to ensure our units and divisions run smoothly, resolving issues, answering questions, and finding ways to work efficiently. He also helps with requests such as, needs for programs/access through the Information Technology Department and obtaining quotes to purchase items needed for our Deputy DA’s cases. Read more about what inspired Nathaniel to pursue career in law enforcement at the DA’s Office, below.

What inspired you to choose a career in law enforcement/at the DA’s Office?

“Having a career in law enforcement and at the DA’s office is a great opportunity, which I think it could be considered as both direct and indirect ways to serve the community and touch so many lives. It’s good to know that I’m here to make a difference and be a part of improving our society.”

What is your favorite part of the job?

“My favorite part of the job is not only knowing our office is seeking justice but also seeing everyone in the DA’s Office grow. I’ve seen people come in as a student workers or Office Assistants and move up. Some of them becoming Deputy DAs, paralegals, supervisors, and LSMs.  It feels good knowing I’ve contributed to the growth and development of staff within the District Attorney’s Office.”

What does Asian American and Pacific Islander Month mean to you/why is it important to you?

“This is a great question to address. It brings me great pleasure that our community is taking a moment to recognize the Asian American and Pacific Islander Month. To me, it means remembering our own history and being proud of who we are. Hopefully, it gets people to explore and discover what Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures have to offer in terms of food, language, and history. We can share all of the positive contributions that our culture has given to the world.”