Michelle Courchaine -Senior Paralegal

michelle@makilawct.com

Michelle earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Studies from Bay Path College in 2002. She has been a litigation paralegal for over 20 years years and has worked closely alongside Attorney Maki for most of her legal career. She has extensive experience involving a wide variety of litigation matters, concentrating on the areas of personal injury, medical malpractice and legal malpractice. Michelle serves as an integral member of the firm by providing training, mentoring and leadership to the rest of the Maki Law team. In addition to keeping Attorney Maki on the right track, some of Michelle’s other responsibilities include discovery, drafting and filing of pleadings/motions, medical records review and case analysis. Michelle is also a Notary for the State of Connecticut. She takes pride in her work, has maintained great relationships with others in the legal community and tries to go above and beyond to help her clients receive the best possible outcome available.

Michelle lives in Coventry with her husband, Rick, their two children and their dog Bailey. In her “spare time” you can find her at one of the local wineries or taking a ride in the family’s 1967 Mustang. She is obsessed with dogs and enjoys reading, trail walks, escape rooms or just doing fun activities with her family and friends.

Kaitlyn Khan -Paralegal

kaitlyn@makilawct.com

Kaitlyn earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Connecticut in 2010 and her Paralegal Certificate from Manchester Community College in 2014. She started working for Attorney Maki in 2012 and has enjoyed it so much that she has decided to stay until her retirement. Kaitlyn handles the majority of the Social Security Disability cases for the firm and also assists with various Litigation cases. Kaitlyn is expert at dealing with the Social Security Administration and will expend considerable energy on behalf of her clients to make sure they are treated well by the system they have paid into all their working lives. She believes in doing her best for those who have suffered and require help to get back on their feet.

Kaitlyn lives in West Hartford, CT with her awesome husband, Zachary, whom she would annoy all day long with excessive affection if he let her. She enjoys relaxing evenings with family and friends, being outside, being a Bible teacher, learning languages, and finding something to laugh about at the end of the day.
 

Tina van Huyssteen -Legal Secretary

tina@makilawct.com

Having been born and raised at the foot of Table Mountain, Tina opted to study Graphic Design after school but ultimately pivoted toward accounting and qualified while employed at an international company, to whom she dedicated 20 years of her life.

She has been an integral part of her neighbourhood watch since 2013, organising patrollers, doing newsletters, working closely with the committee and attending weekly meetings with the Community Policing Forum, SAPS and Law Enforcement. Tina joined Maki Law in 2021 and almost immediately applied her own meticulous methodology to the gathering and distributing of information needed to assist the much-appreciated clients of the firm.

She believes strongly in community & fairness and, when speaking to clients — all people in fact — she believes that listening, understanding and honesty are the highest forms of respect, which is the right of every individual. She also tries to convey respect in her communications with providers by being clear, concise and accurate.

Although Tina loves to garden, hike and exercise, she is an artist at heart and expresses herself best by creating 3D art and painting in watercolour and oils. She shares her home in Durbanville with two incredibly special, spoiled furbabies and with her semi-retired husband, Peter, whom she helps with designs for his leather work.

Her most beloved creations however are her two grown children – a published, international photographer daughter and an IT consultant, ETF dabbler son. When they return home for visits, laughter, sarcasm, teasing and banter are usually the order of the day. When mixed with a glass of wine, what can be better?

Alex Sosa -Paralegal

alex@makilawct.com

Alex opted to study Civil Engineering and obtained his college degree in 2015. However, in January 2023 he was offered an opportunity to work with the team at Maki Law and he has been there ever since. Alex handles a variety of Social Security Disability cases for the firm and also assists with the initial processes for the personal injury, legal malpractice, and dental malpractice cases.

Alex endeavors to be as reachable, and helpful as possible to all his clients, striving to provide them with accurate and prompt answers, or if you just want to chat! He deals with Social Security on a daily basis and helps clients with their Social Security Disability applications, requesting medical records for his clients, and constant follow-up calls with Social Security to provide clients with the most updated information. Alex is devoted to working as hard as possible to aid the legal team in Maki Law to provide our clients with favorable decisions by providing Social Security with all the required and requested information as soon as it is requested by them. He believes that maintaining good communication with clients, whether it is through calls, texts or emails, is a great way of aiding their case, reassuring them that he is looking out for their best interests, and helping them get the benefits they deserve from Social Security.

Alex is currently engaged to his fiancé, Mary, and is in the process of building their home together. They live with their two adopted dogs, Chief and Blass, who are a pivotal part of their lives. In his spare time, Alex is a huge military aviation fan and will take any opportunity to do volunteer work at his local aviation museum and build scale model replicas of his favorite aircraft. At the end of the day, he just wants to enjoy time with his fiancé and two very good boys!