Melia’s legal career began in the United States District Court for the Southern District when she worked for the Presiding Magistrate. She later honed her research and writing skills in the legal academic arena by assisting her law school’s Vice Dean and the Dean Steven R. Smith Professor of Law in legal areas including: international human rights and gender equality.
Melia has worked in small and mid-sized law firms in California and Nevada where she focused on employment law, family law, and civil litigation. She also worked for a prominent public law firm in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she advocated for human rights and policy change. She has a broad understanding of the mechanics and development of the legal process.
Growing up in Inglewood, California, and experiencing homelessness and poverty is no small feat. Drastically changing your trajectory, an even bigger challenge. Melia has done both, and more.
Melia’s intimate familiarity with poverty and the power of financial planning called her to assist families of moderate means, help entrepreneurs, and advocate for workers’ rights. Melia is dedicated to providing security and peace of mind to individuals, families, and aggrieved employees.
After graduating from the University of Southern California Santa Barbara cum laude, Melia contributed to building multiple non-profit organizations internationally and domestically– spanning from start-ups to multimillion-dollar operating budgets. Melia sharpened her skills in grant writing, fund development, and lobbying, before receiving a 100% merit-based tuition scholarship to Law School. Within three years, she graduated from California Western School of Law School magna cum laude, traveled to twenty countries, and passed the California bar.
Melia has lived throughout the U.S. as well as in Spain, Brazil, Thailand, and South Africa. As such, she has a unique ability to communicate and connect with a variety of people from a wide range of backgrounds.
