Melba is a paralegal at Gray Plant Mooty and a member of the firm’s Litigation practice group and Franchise & Distribution practice group. She has experience in a broad range of commercial litigation matters including franchise, employment, white collar crime, insurance, patents, and health law, and also has expertise in administrative law matters involving environmental permits and other regulatory issues. Melba has provided paralegal support in complex litigation matters including document and database management, working with technical experts, drafting pleadings and other documents, and preparing for and providing support at trial in both state and federal courts. She routinely conducts factual investigations and research of both civil and criminal matters.

Prior to joining Gray Plant Mooty in 1991, Melba worked with attorneys and judges in both the private and public sector in Minnesota and California. This included work in the specific areas of personal injury, products liability, workers compensation, corporate, probate, agricultural law, and public benefits. From 1987-1990, Melba was a paralegal in the general counsel’s office of Control Data Corporation where she coordinated the due diligence aspect of all mergers and acquisitions and preparation of schedules to asset or stock purchase agreements. In addition, she provided support to in-house counsel on litigation matters including contracts, employment, and insurance claims venued in state and/or federal courts across the country. Prior to that, Melba spent eleven years as a paralegal for Mid-Minnesota Legal Services, representing claimants seeking to obtain or retain public benefits specializing in Social Security and SSI disability. During that time, she also taught legal research and writing to other legal services paralegals and legal advocacy skills to the first group of Minnesota Department of Agriculture farm advocates.

Melba began her career as a legal secretary in 1963 and has continued to work in the legal field since that time.

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