
Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, Civil Litigation
Licensed in North Carolina since: 1987
Education: University of North Carolina School of Law
Tharrington Smith, LLP
150 Fayetteville St.Suite 1800
Raleigh, NC 27601 Phone: 919-821-4711 Email: Melissa Hill Visit website
Details
Melissa Hill practices criminal and civil litigation, including civil rights, and family law, in state and federal courts. She received her B.A. degree, magna cum laude, as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1984. She also attended law school at UNC, where she was admitted to the Order of the Coif, was on the North Carolina Law Review and received her J.D. with high honors in 1987. Ms. Hill joined Tharrington Smith in 1987 and is the author of Tennessee v. Garner – The Use of Deadly Force to Arrest as an Unreasonable Search and Seizure, 65 N.C.L. Rev. 155 (1986); and Branch Banking & Trust Company v. Wright – Creditors Rights to Entireties Property Awarded to Nondebtor Spouse Upon Divorce, 64 N.C.L. Rev. 1471 (1986). She is active in Bar Association activities and has served as an officer on the Criminal Justice Council of the N.C. Bar Association.Â
Ms. Hill was born and raised in Asheville, NC, where her father practiced law for over fifty years.  She is married and has one daughter, Eliza Jade. She loves mountain biking in the Pisgah National Forest and the other parts of western and eastern North Carolina, and playing tennis. In her free time, she also enjoys playing the guitar and piano, acquiring new musical tastes, gardening, cooking, and traveling.   Â
First Admitted: 1987, North Carolina
Professional Webpage: https://tharringtonsmith.com/our_attorneys/melissa-hill/
- Best Law Firms, U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers®
- AV Preeminent Rated, Martindale-Hubbell, 2018
- Melissa Hill has been listed in Best Lawyer in America, Criminal Defense: White-Collar Section since 2010., Best Lawyers, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Best Lawyers in America, 2010
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill - B.A., 1984
- Criminal Justice Section Council Secretary - North Carolina Bar Association, 1997
- Member - Wake County Academy of Criminal Trial Lawyers, 1987
- Member - North Carolina Bar Association
- Member - Wake County Bar Association
- Criminal Justice Section Council Member - North Carolina Bar Association, 1991
- Criminal Justice Section Council Officer - North Carolina Bar Association, 1992
- Member - National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Member - North Carolina Advocates for Justice
- Criminal Justice Section Council Vice President - North Carolina Bar Association, 2002
- Criminal Justice Section Council Member - North Carolina Bar Association, 1995
- Member - Association of Trial Lawyer of America
- Member - North Carolina State Bar
- Member - American Bar Association
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2019 - 2023