Melissa A. Graham-Hurd
Top rated Family Law attorney in Green, Ohio
Melissa Graham-Hurd & Associates LLC
Practice Areas: Family Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Estate Planning & Probate; view more
Licensed in Ohio since: 1984
Education: The University of Akron School of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2011 - 2024 Call today:
330-996-4099
Melissa Graham-Hurd & Associates LLC
4030 Massillon Road #BGreen, OH 44685 Visit website
Details
During the course of her 30-year career, Melissa Graham-Hurd has established herself as a staple within the Ohio family law community. At her own firm in the Akron-Canton area, she serves clients in Summit and Stark County, including Green, Coventry, Akron, Barberton, Cuyahoga Falls, Stow, Norton, North Canton, Canton and Jackson Township. Ms. Graham-Hurd dedicates her entire practice to family law matters pertaining to divorce and dissolution; separation, premarital, partnership and parenting agreements; child and spousal support; parenting rights and legal custody for non-parents; grandparent visitation; probate matters including step-parent adoption, name changes of minors, wills and estate administration; and alternative dispute resolution. Ms. Graham-Hurd also devotes a portion of her practice to cases involving marriages, divorces, and planning for same-sex couples.
Her zeal for family law reform is demonstrated further through her certification in general and family mediation, and her past service as a guardian ad litem, as well as working on committees to revise to the Ohio Revised Code and Ohio Civil Rules as they relate to Family Law.
In her career, Ms. Graham-Hurd 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 all Ohio state courts. Throughout her career, she has taught more than 40 classes and seminars pertaining to all areas of family law. Her knowledge of the subject has even led to membership in the committee that designs and administers the test for lawyers seeking board certification as family law specialists.
Ms. Graham-Hurd earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and French from the University of Akron in 1980 and obtained her Juris Doctor from the University of Akron School of Law in 1983. Additionally, she received a certificate in peace studies from the University of Akron's Center for Dispute Resolution in 1980.
From 2010 to 2013, 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 the Akron Bar Foundation, and has chaired committees and sections for the Akron Bar Association and Ohio State Bar Association. Â She is also a member of the Stark County and Ohio Women's bar associations.
Practice areas
Family Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Estate Planning & ProbateFocus areas
Alimony & Spousal Support, Arbitration, Child Support, Custody & Visitation, Dissolution, Divorce, Domestic Violence, Father's Rights, Juvenile Law, Living Wills, Marital Property, Mediation, Mediation & Collaborative Law, Name Change, Paternity, Power of Attorney, Prenuptial Agreements, Same Sex Family Law, Wills
- 80% Family Law
- 10% Alternative Dispute Resolution
- 10% Estate Planning & Probate
First Admitted: 1984, Ohio
Professional Webpage: http://www.grahamhurdlaw.com/attorney-profile/melissa-graham...
- Fellow, Ohio State Bar Foundation, 2003 - Present
- Fellow, Akron Bar Foundation
- Ohio State Bar Association, Council of Delegates, 2001 - Present
- Chair, Ohio State Bar Association, Family Law Committee, 2002 - 2004
- Chair, Ethics/Professionalism Committee, Ohio State Bar Association
- Chair, Akron Bar Association, Family Law Section, 1994
- Chair, Ohio State Bar Association, Family Law Legislative Drafting Subcommittee, 1996 - 1998
- Co-Chair, Special Committee to Review Gender Fairness Task Force Report , 2009 - 2012
- Vice Chair Juvenile Committee, Ohio State Bar Association, 2004 - 2005
- Vice-Chair, Akron Bar Association, Family Law Section, 1993
- Vice-Chair, Ohio State Bar Association, Family Law Committee, 2000 - 2002
- Vice Chair, Akron Bar Association, Law Week Committee, 1989 - 1991
- Ohio Supreme Court, Advisory Committee on Families, Children and the Court, 2003 - 2007
- Ohio State Bar Association - Board of Governors
- Secretary, Ohio State Bar Association, Family Law Committee, 1998 - 2000
- Secretary/Treasurer, Akron Bar Association, Family Law Section, 1989 - 1992
- Ohio State Bar Association, Professionalism Committee, 2012 - Present; renamed Ethics Committee, Chair 2016 - 2018
- Member, Ohio State Bar Association, Family Law Committee, 1987 - Present
- Ohio State Bar Association, Family Law Committee Spousal Support Committee, 2000 - Present
- Mentoring, Akron Bar Association, 1990 - 1992
- Akron Bar Association, Grievance Committee, 1989 - 1991
- Ohio State Bar Association, Solo and Small Firm Section, 2006 - Present
- Member, Ohio State Bar Association, 2001 - Present
- Member, Akron Bar Association, 1984 - Present
- Akron Bar Association, Young Lawyers Committee, 1984 - 1992
- Member, Ohio Women's Bar Association
- American Bar Association, Family Law Committee, 1987 - Present
- Member, Stark County Bar Family Law Committee
- Member, Ohio State Bar Association, 1990 - 2002
- Member, Akron Bar Association, Family Law Section, 1985 - Present
- Member, Stark County Bar Association
- Akron Bar Association, Bar Applicants Interviews, 1993 - 1994
- Ohio State Bar Association, Family Relations Specialty Committee, 2004 - Present
- Member, Akron Bar Association, Law Week Committee, 1984 - 1993
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1999
- U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 1990
- Member, Ohio State Bar Association, Legal Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee, 2006 - 2012
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio, 1985
- Ohio, 1984
- Member, Ohio State Bar Association College, 1987 - Present
- Akron Bar Association, Women in the Law, 2009 - Present
- Member, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
- Ordinary men and women going through the toughest parts of their lives, the breakup of their relationships, and determining how to arrange parenting responsibilities.
- Fellow - Akron Bar Foundation
- Fellow, Ohio State Bar Foundation
- Tax Aspects of Divorce in Ohio, Miscellaneous Tax Provisions and Ethics, National Business Institute, 1999
- Coordination/Organization of Seminar, Ohio State Bar Association Family Law Committee - Annual Conventions, 1998
- Family Law in Ohio, Analysis of Financial Information, Preparation and Trial of a Divorce Case, National Business Institute, 1996
- Parenting Issues in Domestic Relations Cases in Ohio, Modification Proceedings, Evidentiary Problems in Initial Allocations and Modifications, National Business Institute, 1996
- Tax Aspects of Divorce in Ohio, Miscellaneous Tax Provisions and Ethics, National Business Institute, 1995
- Rules Update, Akron Bar Association Family Law Section - Annual Seminar, 1995
- Case Law Update, Akron Bar Association Family Law Section - Annual Seminar, 1994
- The New Child Support Statute, Akron Bar Association Family Law Section - Annual Seminar, 1993
- Tax Aspects of Divorce in Ohio, Miscellaneous Tax Provisions and Ethics, National Business Institute, 1993
- Bridge the Gap Seminar, Domestic Relations Section, Ohio CLE Institute, 1993
- New Lawyers' Seminar, Domestic Relations Sections, Akron Bar Association Young Lawyers Committee, 1990 - 1993
- Tax Aspects of Divorce in Ohio, Tax Treatment of Property Transfers Incident to a Divorce, Miscellaneous Tax Provisions, National Business Institute, 1992
- Creative Approaches when Seeking Visitation and New Developments in Child Custody Cases Involving the Use or Misuse of MMPIs, Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers - Annual Family Law Seminar, 1991
- The Need to Value Marital Property, Akron Bar Association Family Law Section - Annual Seminar, 1991
- Ethical, Procedural and Evidentiary Considerations in Sexual Abuse Cases, Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers - Annual Family Law Seminar, 1990
- Property Division - Separate and Marital Real Estate, Ohio State Bar Association, 2012
- Deviation from Child Support Guidelines, Akron Bar Association Family Law Section - Annual Seminar, 1989
- Case Law Update, Akron Bar Association, 2009
- Complication of Handbook of Forms for Portage, Stark and Medina, Akron Bar Association Family Law Section - Annual Seminar, 1987
- Ohio Spousal Support Law, Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers, 2006
- National Trends in Spousal support , Akron Bar Association - Annual Rosen Seminar, 2013
- New Ohio Family Law Legislation, Akron Bar Association, 2005
- Shared Parenting Plans, Akron Bar Association, 2017
- Ohio Spousal Support Proposals, Ohio Association of Magistrates, 2005
- Gender Fairness project results, Akron Bar Association, 2012
- Ohio Family Law Legislation, Akron Bar Association, 2004
- Post-Decree Children's Issues, Ohio State Bar Association Family Law Committee - Annual Conventions, 2003
- Tax and Divorce - A Practical Approach, Ohio CLE Institute, 2003
- Ethics and Malpractice, Akron Bar Association Family Law Section - Annual Seminar, 2002
- "Networking Websites", Domestic Relations Journal of Ohio, West Publishing Co., September/October 2010
- "Attorney Fees", Domestic Relations Journal of Ohio, West Publishing Co., July/August, 2003
- "Law in the 50 States", (Ohio Reporter), American Bar Association Family Law Quarterly, several years
- Gender Fairness, Akron Bar Association, 2012
- Government Retirement Benefits, Sowald Morganstern Domestic Relations Law, Baldwin's Ohio Practice Series, West Group Publishers, 1997, Updated Annually
- New Lawyers' Seminar, Domestic Relations, Akron Bar Association Young Lawyers Committee, 2002
- Coordination/Organization of Seminar, Ohio State Bar Association Family Law Committee - Annual Conventions, 2001 - 2002
- Parenting Case Law Update, Akron Bar Association, Family Law Section - Annual Seminar, 2000
- Shared Parenting Case Law Update, Akron Bar Association Family Law Section - Annual Seminar, 1999
- University of Akron, Center for Dispute Resolution, Certificate in Peace Studies, 1980
- American Bar Association Military Pro Bono Project - Provides services to military service members through JAG offices
- Many cases handled at low cost or no cost for qualified lower income individuals with family relations difficulties through volunteer agency.
- JD - University of Akron School of Law, 1983
- University of Akron, B.A. in English and French, 1980
- DePiero v. Macedonia - 6th Cir. 180 F.3d 770 - a civil rights suit successfully brought against a municipality holding mayor's court, 1999
- Divorce
- Domestic Relations
- Family
- Juvenile Law
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2011 - 2024
