Exclusively Legal Team

Home > About Us > Our Team

Meet the Exclusively Legal Staffing Team

Tenured Legal Recruiters and Consultants

Our tenured legal staffing team is comprised of seasoned professionals with eclectic backgrounds and areas of expertise that come together to provide unmatched services to our clients and candidates.

Renee Loheed

Regional Managing Director

As Regional Managing Director, Renee Loheed is responsible for regional West Coast business for Exclusively Legal’s California and Nevada locations. Primary duties include overseeing the project attorney team service and legal management and support staffing, including specialized legal talent searches.

During her 17 years with Exclusively Legal, Renee successfully opened and assumed responsibility for five regional locations. Her legal staffing experience is complemented by 10 years of work in law firms and corporate legal departments.

Renee is well-regarded for her depth of relationships within the legal community and is often called upon to speak at various legal associations. She is active in the Association of Legal Administrators and the Association of Corporate Counsel. Outside of work, Renee supports HOPE worldwide and she is a tremendous advocate for making a difference wherever she can.

Renee majored in marketing and business at the University of Colorado at Boulder and San Francisco State University.

Rachael Johnson

Branch Manager

As Branch Manager with a decade of experience at Exclusively Legal, Rachael Johnson’s primary role is to oversee staffing services for the Las Vegas location. Specializations include recruiting for direct-hire jobs.

Rachael’s more than 25 years of professional experience includes work as a legal administrator for Las Vegas law firms, as a secretary for the Association of Legal Administrators and as an office manager for Kelseyville Packing Company, serving the agricultural industry.

She is a frequent guest speaker at colleges and legal associations such as the Community College of Southern Nevada, Paralegal Association of Southern Nevada, National Association of Legal Secretaries and Nevada Paralegal Association. She is a member of the Clark County Bar Association and National Association of Personnel Services.

Shelly Blackman

Business Development and Account Manager

Shelly Blackman is Exclusively Legal’s Business Development and Account Manager, dividing his time between developing West Coast client relationships and serving as account manager for the agency's long-term clients.

His comprehensive knowledge of legal staffing comes from nearly 30 years of industry experience including his experience as Director of Operations for his family owned legal placement agency and working as an administrator in a Los Angeles law firm.

During Shelly’s eight years with Exclusively Legal, accomplishments include mentoring the agency's tenured recruiting team and developing the company's contract attorney services, making Exclusively Legal San Diego's premier provider of on- and off-site document review teams.

Shelly is a member of the San Diego County Bar Association, is involved with the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program and with the nonprofit organization, SAY San Diego. Additional legal community involvement includes ongoing consultation services to a variety of law firms, various judgeships for legal professional awards ceremonies and serving as a panelist for the national conference of the American Association for Paralegal Education.

Daniel L. Sweeney, Esq.

Attorney Teams Specialist

Daniel L. Sweeney is Exclusively Legal’s Attorney Teams Specialist, bringing with him a decade of legal experience that includes large-scale document review management and hands-on litigation. In his current role, Daniel is responsible for recruitment of attorney teams for e-discovery and document review projects. Daniel also works closely with Exclusively Legal's sister division, Essential Discovery, which staffs, manages and hosts complex document review projects across the country.

During his tenure at Exclusively Legal, Daniel has effectively managed large-scale document review projects and served as a consultant to clients who are facing complex discovery endeavors. Previous to Exclusively Legal, Daniel was a litigator for more than eight years in both California and Florida, successfully handling more than 100 cases from beginning to end.

Daniel is a member of the State Bar of California and the San Diego County Bar Association. He earned a J.D. from the University of Florida, College of Law, and a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Florida State University.

Kira Smartt

Senior Legal Recruiter

As a Senior Legal Recruiter, Kira Smartt is responsible for direct-hire and executive-level recruitment for law firms and corporations. Kira's six years of recruiting experience with Exclusively Legal is complemented by nine years of direct law firm experience and financial consulting expertise.

Prior to Exclusively Legal, Kira worked with Smith Barney for its private equity group as a financial consultant. There, she was responsible for short- and long-term financial planning strategies. Previous to Smith Barney, Kira worked in a support capacity for two law firms specializing in civil litigation.

After a year abroad in 2003, Kira chose to use her business acumen and legal expertise to transition to the legal staffing industry. She is widely respected among law firm and corporate clients alike and in the past six years, has become one of the company's top consultants.

Kira frequently presents on topics that include resume and job search strategies, attorneys in transition and more. She's sat as a panel judge for legal recognition awards and is active with Circle of Friends, a charity to aid underprivileged boys in San Diego. Kira earned a bachelor's in political science from the University of California, San Diego.

Abigail Parente

Senior Legal Recruiter

With six years tenure at Exclusively Legal, Abigail Parente is Senior Legal Recruiter for the staffing agency. Abigail’s primary responsibilities are managing key accounts and recruiting for contract legal jobs for law firms and corporate legal departments.

Previously, Abigail was a recruiter for the University of San Diego’s paralegal program. There, she increased admissions by 100% in one year. Abigail’s background also includes a career as a litigation calendar clerk with international law firm Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP.

Abigail frequently presents at local San Diego colleges and universities on topics relating to the job market, and is often a guest speaker for various legal associations. She’s actively involved with local groups such as San Diego Paralegal Association and San Diego Lawyer’s Club. Abigail earned a master’s in leadership studies and a paralegal certificate from the University of San Diego and a bachelor’s from the University of Scranton.

Pattie Matthie

Marketing and Administrative Manager

Patti Matthie’s role as Marketing and Administrative Manager entails the supervision of office operations at San Diego headquarters and directing networking and marketing opportunities for the company. Patti’s seven years of experience in the legal staffing sector at Exclusively Legal is accompanied by a background in entrepreneurship and events management.

Prior to Exclusively Legal, Patti owned the special events planning company Elegant Events & Floral. As owner, she managed a team of 20 and was responsible for all corporate and wedding sales in major hotels such as the Marriott and Hyatt. Prior to opening her business, she was catering manager to La Costa Resort and Spa, where she managed all major corporate accounts including American Express, General Motors and Sweet’N Low.

Patti is a member of the San Diego Legal Secretaries Association and IP Professionals Connection. Her business degree is from Jacksonville University and additional education includes training in interior and floral design.

Lesa Alder

Staffing Assistant

Lesa Alder is Staffing Assistant for Exclusively Legal in Las Vegas, where she's responsible for assisting with all recruitment and placement efforts. With four years tenure at the company, Lesa brings more than eight years of staffing experience to her role.

Prior to Exclusively Legal, Lesa supported several divisions of The Eastridge Group of Staffing Companies at its Las Vegas location in an administrative capacity. There, she maintained a database of more than 200 contract employees and supported client service efforts.

Lesa’s professional experience also includes teaching OSHA compliance classes, as well as first aid and safety. She is a member of the National Notary Association, National Association of Personnel Services and the American Staffing Association.

Kylie Shea

Staffing Assistant

As Staffing Assistant, Kylie Shea is responsible for payroll of all temporary employees and attorney document review teams for Exclusively Legal. Kylie also supports the Exclusively Legal recruiters by identifying prospective candidates, scheduling appointments and maintaining the extensive candidate database.

Prior to joining Exclusively Legal, Kylie taught group fitness for three years. She earned her bachelor’s in political science and international affairs from the University of Colorado at Boulder. In her spare time, Kylie runs marathons.