Melanie is a native of Tennessee, growing up in Nashville and attending undergraduate college and law school at the University of Tennessee.  Life took Melanie far away from her roots in Tennessee and then, as fate would have it, brought her back.  After graduating from law school, Melanie practiced law in Georgia, North Carolina, Vermont and New Hampshire.  In North Carolina, she was a certified family law specialist.  Throughout her career, family law has remained a focus.  She has over sixteen years of experience in the field.  In addition to practicing law, Melanie also is an adjunct professor at Pellissippi State Community College.  Melanie joined the Held Law Firm in March 2015 and now practices in the same neighborhood she lived while attending law school.

Melanie is an avid movie fan whose goal is the see all the movies nominated for the major Oscar categories prior to the award show.  She also loves to talk about her almost two hundred pound dog, Samson the English Mastiff.  Melanie has been married for over twenty-five years and has one daughter.