Melissa Raneri Karlsten is a shareholder of Aaron, Riechert, Carpol & Riffle, and has been practicing in the area of Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law since 2002. The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization has certified Ms. Karlsten as a specialist in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law. She has also trained as a mediator.

Ms. Karlsten is a native of the Bay Area. She attended St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco. After high school, she earned a B.A. in English Literature from Santa Clara University where she graduated Cum Laude in 1997. After teaching second grade at a San Jose grammar school, she went on to earn her J.D. at the University of San Francisco School of Law in 2002, where she also graduated Cum Laude. At U.S.F., Ms. Karlsten was a member of the McAuliffe Honor Society and served as the technical editor for the Law Review.

Ms. Karlsten is admitted to practice in the State of California. She is a member of the San Mateo County Bar Association and a former member of the Board of Directors. From 2018 to 2024, Ms. Karlsten served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section (TEXCOM) of the California Lawyers Association (formerly of the State Bar of California). Ms. Karlsten also serves as Independent Counsel in San Mateo County and Santa Clara County in conservatorship and limited conservatorship matters, and as a Guardian ad Litem in trusts and estates matters.