BRETT D. STEIN
JD, MS, CRC Board Certified
Rehabilitation Counselor
2710 W Quartz St Dunlap, IL 61525
Phone: (973) 580-6867
steinvocational@gmail.com

Volunteer/Internship Experience

Occupational Center of Union County (now known as Inroads to Opportunities), Roselle, NJ, August 2014 – December 2014

Completed 150-hour Practicum at nonprofit facility working with over 300 clients with a wide range of disabilities. Worked primarily in vocational evaluation conducting assessments and testing to new clients to the facility in a probationary period. Also assisted with group counseling in the mental health and the employment center with resume preparation and job applications.

Volunteer/Internship Experience

Center for Educational Advancement, Flemington, NJ, September 2015 – May 2016

Completed 600-hour Internship at nonprofit facility serving individuals with mental, physical and psychological impairments under a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. Worked primarily in group and individual counseling with 18-30-year-old individuals on the Autism Spectrum Disorder on social, verbal and nonverbal communication skills. Accompanied clients on job interviews, internships and jobs to observe their progress and fill out detailed reports. Served as case manager for 10 clients tracking work and social progress, assisting in the decision making process regarding recommendations.

Bar Admissions

Admitted to New Jersey State Bar on December 2, 2009; law license is currently in retired status.

Legal Experience

Associate Attorney

Law Office of Ira J. Metrick 57 West Main Street Freehold, NJ 07728 August 2012 – January 2013

Associate at a small real estate law firm focusing on foreclosure defense, real estate closings and Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Duties included meeting with clients, dispensing legal advice, drafting motions, complaints and other legal documents, and representing clients in court as necessary in Superior Court, Chancery Division in Monmouth, Mercer, Ocean, Middlesex and Union counties.

Environmental Paralegal

Ingersoll Rand, One Centennial Avenue, Piscataway, NJ
August 2010 – September 2011

Reporting and working directly under the Global Director of Environmental Affairs and the Vice President of Environment, Health & Safety in the Corporate Center Legal Department. My duties include working closely with Corporate Real Estate on all new leases, renewals and property sales to draft and approve environmental language in lease and sale documents. In addition, I help manage several ongoing Superfund sites across the country where Ingersoll Rand is a potentially responsible party and is a member of a group tasked with cleaning up site contamination. I also help manage and update the quarterly Superfund report detailing all the sites to whic  Ingersoll Rand is a liable party including setting a financial reserve to pay for future costs associated with the site. Work also included assisting and leading on various projects related to proposal, purchase orders, research assignments and other confidential assignments.

Extern

United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5 Office, Chicago, IL January 2009 – April 2009

Assisted the Multimedia II Branch with research in support of ongoing litigation which included drafting memorandum, complaints and other projects for the branch’s eight attorneys.

Extern

Legal Environmental Aid Foundation of Indiana, Inc., Valparaiso, IN January 2008 – May 2008

Worked in the same office as LEAF Executive Director Kim Ferraro and assisted in several areas including case research, correspondence drafting, and legal research in support of ongoing cases.

Professional Experience

Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor/Owner

Stein Vocational Services Peoria,
IL
June 2021 – present

Responsible for conducting vocational evaluations and earning capacity analyses in workers’ compensation, personal injury, and matrimonial cases in the private sector in litigation. Work with clients who have been injured in vocational rehabilitation management performing vocational testing, formulating rehabilitation plans involving alternative careers or researching school options for training in a different occupation, creating resumes for clients, and assisting in the job search process. Give trial and deposition testimony as required.

Research Analyst/Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor

Vocational Consulting Group, Inc. Springfield, NJ July 2006 – May 2007; March 2013 – present

Responsible for conducting vocational evaluations and earning capacity analyses in the private sector in litigation for matrimonial and personal injury attorneys. Conductingcareer counseling and job search support for private clients looking to switch careers or re-enter the work force after a lengthy delay.

Adjunct Professor

New Jersey City University, Jersey City, NJ
January 2010 – May 2014

Taught two courses per semester in Pre-Law and Political Science ranging from Constitutional Law, U.S. Politics, State & Local Government, and Judicial Process. Each course averaged 15-25 students and involved teaching theoretical and practical
material on pre-law and political subject matter ranging from introductory to moreadvanced 300 level courses.

Professional Certifications

Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification, 2016, valid through March 31, 2026 (Certification #00209435)

Certified Job Coach and Employment Specialist (2016) through The Boggs Center on Development Disabilities and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Certified Vocational Rehabilitation Practitioner, Missouri Division of Workers’ Compensation

Educational Background

Valparaiso University School of Law, Valparaiso, Indiana

Juris Doctorate conferred on May 23, 2009

University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, Buffalo, New York

Master of Science in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling, 2016

Wagner College, Staten Island, New York

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, 2003

Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts

Master of Science in Political Science, 2004