Melanie Tardell
Signified Law
Melanie is a compassionate advocate for her clients because she was a client first. After overcoming challenges of divorce and child custody, largely due to an attorney's advocacy, Melanie felt called to become an attorney herself. Her personal experience gives her an insightful perspective on what clients face while her education provides an understanding of the legal attributes of each case. Having genuine empathy, a knack for research and writing, and a tenacious spirit, Melanie aims to advocate for and empower each client by helping them navigate their case and move beyond adversity.
Over the years, Melanie grew disheartened as she observed others' disappointment in their legal matters. Between wanting to offer people an improved legal experience and knowing that Big Law was not her path, Melanie was motivated to open a client-friendly law practice built on integrity, compassion, and accessibility. As a result, Signified Law was born.
Melanie operates with a level-headed, balanced approach on delicate issues as she recognizes it doesn’t benefit a client to inflame an already adversarial situation. As the emotional and financial cost to the client tends to be greater the longer a case drags out in court, Melanie offers alternative solutions such as mediation, negotiation, and letter writing with the goal of settling matters more favorably and expeditiously out of court. Regardless of the strategy, her sole purpose is to lighten the client's load and protect their interests.
While obtaining her Juris Doctorate degree, Melanie became a certified mediator and subsequently co-created a divorce mediation program at the Mandel Gisnet Center for Conflict Management in Monterey County. As a mediator, Melanie found it rewarding facilitating others as they created their own fair solutions. She also interned for a child advocacy law firm, attending family court where she worked alongside the courts and social services in the pursuit of reunifying separated families.
- Divorce
- Family Law
- Arbitration & Mediation
- Legal Writing & Research
- Credit Cards Accepted
- Founder/Principal Attorney
- Signified Law
- - Current
- Signified Law serves clients in Contra Costa, San Joaquin, and Alameda Counties (and a few services throughout California)! We offer virtual services in family law matters such as divorce, child custody, adoption, and guardianship of the person and also name changes, attorney-assisted mediation, and legal writing (such as demand letters) & research.
- Attorney
- Self-employed
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- Practicing family Law (divorce & child custody) and offering legal writing services (demand letters).
- Interning Attorney
- Law Office Of Heidi Simonson
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- Interned for and was mentored by the highly respected Heidi Simonson, Esq. Under Ms. Simonson’s guidance, I practiced family law, working on divorce, child custody, guardianships of the person, and adoption cases.
- Divorce Mediator/Small Claims Advisor
- Mandel Gisnet Center For Conflict Management
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- Divorce Mediation: Co-created a divorce mediation program at the Mandel Gisnet Center for Conflict Management in Monterey County. Mediated divorcing couples and helped facilitate a productive environment as they created their own fair solutions. Small Claims: Helped advise and train community members regarding their small claims issues.
- Monterey College of Law
- J.D. (2016) | Law
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- Honors: Moot Court Finalist
- Cabrillo College
- A.S. (2012) | Undergrad
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- Maximum Lawyer
- Member
- - Current
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- State Bar of California # 317239
- Member
- - Current
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- California Lawyers Association: Family Law Section
- Member
- - Current
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- Family Law Mediation
- Conflict Resolution Center Of Santa Cruz County
- Community Mediation
- Conflict Resolution Center Of Santa Cruz County
