Melissa Graham-Hurd graduated from the University of Akron School of Law and has been serving clients since 1984. She has practiced before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States, in addition to her work in Ohio state courts.
Ms. Graham-Hurd has established herself as a staple within the Ohio family law community. Her practice is focused on Family Law, a field of law that includes:

• termination of marriage cases, whether it is Divorce or Dissolution;
• post-decree matters that arise after the final orders are issued, whether enforcement by contempt actions, or Motions to change the orders regarding parenting time, parenting plans or support issues;
• problems of people who never married but had children and property together;
• child support and spousal support;
• stepparent adoptions;
• name changes for minors and adults;
• antenuptial, postnuptial, partnership and cohabitation agreements;
• grandparent and other relative visitation and custody, caretaker affidavits for grandparents;
• cases involving marriages and partnerships of same-sex couples;
• mediation of family law issues.

She also offers Will preparation, estate planning and administration, including powers of attorney, healthcare and financial; healthcare directives, and Wills and Trusts.
Her zeal for family law reform is demonstrated further through her work to better Family Law for all Ohioans, including certification in general and family mediation, and her past service as guardian ad litem. Melissa has worked endless hours on OSBA committees to revise the Ohio Revised Code and Ohio Civil Rules as they relate to Family Law.
Ms. Graham-Hurd has been the Chair of the Ohio State Bar Association Family Law Committee and the Akron Bar Association’s Family Law Committee. Chief Justice Thomas Moyer appointed her to the Ohio Supreme Court Committee on Children, Families, and the Courts.

Her knowledge of the subject has even led to a 15+ year membership on the committee that designs and administers the test for lawyers seeking board certification as Family Relations specialists.

Ms. Graham-Hurd frequently provides lectures and continuing education seminars for other attorneys in Family Law matters and has written a chapter on Government Pensions in the most prominent Ohio Family Law treatise for lawyers.

Ms. Graham-Hurd served as a member of the Board of Governors for the Ohio State Bar Association, is a Fellow of the Ohio State Bar Foundation and a Fellow of the Akron Bar Foundation. She has chaired several committees and sections for the Akron Bar Association and Ohio State Bar Association. She is also a member of the American Bar Association and its Family Law Committee, the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, the Stark County Bar Association, and the Ohio Women’s Bar Association.

In her spare time, Melissa enjoys reading novels, camping, hiking, and enjoying state and national parks.