About

Passionate, motivated attorney practicing in Summit and Portage Counties in the areas of criminal defense law, family law, and that “gray area” in between that includes juvenile law (abuse, dependency, neglect cases as well as delinquency cases) and both filing and defending Civil Protection Orders. The attorneys at Melissa Graham-Hurd & Associates, LLC are eager to help clients mediate, negotiate, or litigate their legal problems--whichever is appropriate upon an in-depth consultation with our clients. I offer a compassionate, personal approach to resolving legal matters. Clients can have the peace of mind they deserve because I know how to find the answers to the pressing questions and concerns through my experience, researching skills, resourceful nature, and the wealth of knowledge I can access through my professional associations. I am a very active and long-standing member of the Akron Bar Association as the Vice-Chair of the New Lawyers' Section, and a member of the Lawyers' Assistance Committee, the Criminal Law Section, and the Family Law Section. My volunteer work as a Court Appointed Special Advocate and Guardian Ad Litem (CASA/GAL) has also given me access to special training and additional experience in juvenile law—to both the law of this practice area and the realities that parents, foster parents, and other family members and friends face when they find themselves in the juvenile court system or in their county’s department of children services (including Summit County Children’s Services, which is also called SCCS or CSB, and Portage Children’s Services Agency, or PCSA or CSB). I stay involved and in touch with the state of the law in Ohio in my practice areas through the Continuing Legal Education seminars and the networking opportunities available through the Ohio Bar Association. I attend many Continuing Legal Education seminars annually to expand my professional knowledge and network of knowledgeable practitioners; I am recognized as a member of the Ohio Bar College for attending more than 24 hours of CLE in a single year, which is double what the Ohio Supreme Court requires of registered attorneys (the Court requires 24 hours every TWO years)!  My other professional memberships include the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, which puts me in touch with criminal defense practitioners in my area and around the state who are deep in the trenches every day alongside me. My membership in the Ohio Women's Bar Association and the American Bar Association also enrich my professional network and knowledge of relevant case law.

Practices Areas

Criminal Defense

Family

Juvenile Law

Language

English

Contact

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