Meet Our Team
Alex Martinez
Alex has served as the Chief Executive Officer of First Legal since 2005, with a career in litigation support spanning over three decades. His leadership has fueled the significant growth of First Legal from a small, local attorney service company to the sole provider of File Thru Trial™ litigation support nationwide. Alex prioritizes fostering a familial atmosphere, valuing both employees and clients, thereby cultivating a distinct and positive company culture and ensuring a seamless experience for clients. He spends his leisure time golfing and traveling with his wife Staci and their children.
Dave Tait
Dave first started his professional journey as an attorney services messenger and joined First Legal in 1998. He is now the Chief Operating Officer, providing direction and vision to the organization, helping design and test systems and procedures, and troubleshooting any issues that arise. He loves tackling new problems and looking at them from multiple perspectives to identify possible solutions. Outside of work, Dave is an avid dirt bike enthusiast and a member of the American Motorcycle Association. He lives in Boulder City, Nevada with his wife and enjoys spending his free time exploring the outdoors.
Gia Magliulo
Gia’s career spans over 30 years in the litigation support industry covering various aspects of sales and marketing. As the Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Gia is responsible for driving revenue growth across all First Legal service lines and overseeing the marketing efforts to support divisional initiatives, drive brand awareness and optimize SEO. As a leader, Gia focuses on mentoring and working with the sales and marketing management team and places a great deal of importance on communicating and working closely with operational leadership across all First Legal divisions. Gia holds a degree in International Business Management and enjoys yoga, hiking, and traveling.
Nia C. Troup
Nia is our Executive Vice President of Strategy and Organizational Development, bringing her an extensive background in law offices and corporate attorney services. She was the founder of her own company, which specialized in creating efficient and effective programs to help organizations achieve sustainable growth. Through her efforts, First Legal has been able to prioritize goal setting, metrics, and accountability with greater success. A highly organized and productive leader, Nia also understands the importance of creative problem-solving to ensure that strategic initiatives can be broken down into manageable steps that can be implemented across the entire organization. By carefully measuring performance and tracking progress at every step of the way, Nia is able to help First Legal realize its full potential. Nia resides in Los Angeles with her family, where she enjoys practicing yoga and writing.
Danielle Burch, PHR
Danielle is a dedicated professional with extensive experience in Human Resources. She currently focuses on ensuring that all team members have a strong sense of belonging and feel welcome in the workplace. Through her work, she strives to create a fun and exciting environment where everyone can contribute and be successful. To support her role, Danielle holds certifications in PHR and DEI and is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management. She is proficient in various HR principles and services, including Employee Relations, Payroll, Recruitment, Benefits, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Safety, Training & Development, Worker’s Compensation, and Policies & Procedures.
Joe Guarino
Joe is an accomplished IT professional with over 25 years of experience in the technology industry. He is a member of the Global CTO Forum and International Legal Technology Association and has spearheaded the design and development of one-of-a-kind applications that have firmly established First Legal’s position as a leader in the litigation support industry. Joe is also responsible for the implementation of all business support systems used by our global organization. Joe is passionate about his work in the technology sector, but he also actively supports disabled combat veterans as an ambassador to the We Defy Foundation. In addition, he enjoys competing in Jiu-Jitsu competitions and owns his own Academy. When he’s not working or training, Joe enjoys spending time with his family in Nevada.
Don Hoefnagel
Don has been with First Legal for over 25 years and is committed to ensuring we continue to lead the industry in the innovation of litigation support and customer service, with the goal of meeting all client requirements in an effortless customer experience. He graduated from Biola University with a degree in Business and has since acquired extensive first-hand knowledge on how to facilitate successful outcomes when it comes to litigation support. He consistently strives to exceed client expectations while focusing on his leadership skills at First Legal. Don is an active member of the Association of Legal Administrators and Provisors LA3 and dedicates his spare time to playing tennis, golf, and reading. He resides in Southern California with his wife Maggie, their beloved dachshund Ripley, and two cats, Stanley and Reece.
Willy Rodas
Willy has been working in the legal sector for over three decades, and the expertise he has gained has been invaluable to our clients. He is a team-oriented leader who has been instrumental in Business Development and building long-standing client relationships. Along with his extensive knowledge of all six of our services, Willy has earned the prestigious First Legal Impact Award for his dedicated efforts in providing our clients with an effortless experience. Willy plays a key role in the continued development of the First Legal sales team, and is a certified eDiscovery Specialist as well as photocopy services professional. You can find him on the golf course when he is not busy serving our clients.
From Our Blog
Welcome to the Upgraded FirstConnect Portal!
FirstConnect, First Legal’s enhanced client experience with more seamless and secure features, will be exclusively using our new and improved
The Benefits of First Legal’s Multiple Service of Process Options: Speed and Reliability
In legal proceedings, time is often of the essence, particularly when it comes to serving legal documents. The ability to
Prioritizing Security Across New Forms of AI
As legal professionals increasingly integrate emerging artificial intelligence (AI) models into their practice, ensuring AI security in the legal industry
