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Candess Zona-Mendola

Senior Trial Paralegal

Candess’ passion is helping people.

Like all mothers, Candess Zona Mendola wears many hats.  Candess is the Senior Trial Paralegal at The Lange Law Firm.  With over 2 decades of paralegal experience, she has worked on many different types of litigation.  Candess began her career helping people in family law, civil rights, and employment cases. She went on to work on national mass tort cases, with a particular emphasis on helping women who have been harmed by defective medical products and pharmaceuticals.  Candess has worked on trial teams from the West Coast to the South to MidWest, in both state and federal courts.  She has been invited to speak at national seminars on the behind the scenes work that goes into taking massive bellwether cases to trial in federal court. Candess is the author of The Indispensable Paralegal – Your Guide to Getting It All Done, a paralegal guidebook published by the esteemed Trial Guides. Candess has been featured on several paralegal media sites and podcasts, including The Paralegal Voice through the Legal Talk Network, and NALA’s webinar series. With her food safety background, she has also been featured in other media outlets, including: Trial Magazine, @Law, Food Safety Magazine, Paralegal Connect, Forbes, Reader’s Digest, Bustle, Professional Woman’s Magazine, OutbreakNewsToday, New Food Economy, and others.

Candess became a paralegal in order to help people.  When Candess learned that millions of Americans each year were becoming sick from food contaminated with pathogens, she wanted to do something about it. Ever the problem solver, Candess began by finding ways to get more helpful information about food safety concerns and solutions to families (especially other mothers) in a timely fashion.

MakeFoodSafe.com is Candess’ third food safety blog. Her food safety blogs have won multiple awards and been recognized as a: Top 30 Food Safety Blog; Top Mommy Approved Blog; Top 10 Blog Posts by Texas Bar Today; and the Blogger Recognition Award.

From intake to trial, Candess ensures everyone gets what they need when they need it, even the most challenging matters.

Candess works closely with Jory and the food safety team to develop and cultivate the firm’s food safety cases.

To Candess, clients are family. She is never too busy to take time to explain a complicated issue, answer a question, or give a supportive ear. For our clients who have never found themselves in a legal proceeding before, Candess makes it a point to help them understand the process. The phrase, “no question is a silly question” is routine in her vocabulary.

A mother of two, Candess Zona Mendola lives in a suburb of Houston with her husband, Tim.  When she is not saving the world one deadline at a time, Candess spends her time volunteering in youth programs and exploring the great outdoors.

Past Speaking Engagements

  • MTMP 2018, Nuts and Bolts of Bellwether Trials
  • NALA 2018 – Discovery, Meet Paralegal
  • Houston Paralegal Association September 2019 – Becoming an Indispensable Paralegal
  • The Paralegal Voice, “Becoming “The Indispensable Paralegal”
  • AAJ 2020 Winter Convention – Teamwork in the Legal Field
  • Trial Guides 2020, Managing Remote Work in a Law Firm
  • Trial Guides 2020, Working Remotely as a Paralegal
  • One Legal’s Legal Up 2020 – Effective Communication
  • NALA Annual Conference 2020 – Skills of an Indispensable Paralegal
  • NALA Annual Conference 2020 – How to Write Like a Human
  • AAJ Webinar Series 2020- Best Practices for Paralegals and Support Staff During COVID 19 Webinar
  • MTMP Paralegal College, May 2020 – Tools and Skills for the Mass Tort Paralegal
  • MTMP Paralegal College, February 2021 – Preparing Your Case for Trial
  • Minnesota Association for Justice, March 2021 – Discovery in PI Cases: Being a Paralegal/ Forensic Journalist
  • MTMP 2021, Virtual Vegas – All Aboard the Yellow Submarine: Discovery Deep Dive
  • MTMP Paralegal College – Advanced Excel Skills for MTMP, May 2021
  • Minnesota Public Defenders’ Office: Essentials of Trial Prep, July 2021
  • Minnesota Public Defenders’ Office: The Empowered Paralegal, July 2021
  • Ohio Association for Justice: Up You’re A-Game: Tips & Tricks Even for Seasoned Paralegals, September 2021
  • MTMP Paralegal College – Systems to Avoid Burnout, January 25, 2022
  • Trial Guides: Overview of PI Law for Paralegals, March 25, 2022
  • Trial Guides: A Paralegal’s Role in Discovery, April 27, 2022
  • Trial Guides: Trial Prep for Paralegals, May 25, 2022
  • Trial Guides: The Role of a Trial Paralegal, July 27, 2022
  • MTMP Paralegal College – Technology & The Paralegal, July 28, 2022
  • Trial Guides: Paralegals and Technology, August 9, 2022
  • Trial Guides: Deposition Preparation for Paralegals, October 20, 2022
  • Trial Guides: Medical Records Ordering for Paralegals, November 16, 2022
  • Trial Guides: Legal Writing for Paralegals, February 2, 2023
  • Trial Guides: Ethics for Paralegals, March 2, 2023

Jory Lange and Candess Zona-Mendola

 

*Candess Zona Mendola is a Senior Trial Paralegal, not a lawyer.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Top 10 Blog Posts Texas Bar Today Badge
Top Mommy Approved Blog Logo
The Motherhood Logo
Food Safety Blog Award