Melanie Atha
411 Walnut Street
Green Cove Springs, Florida 32043
United States
Green Cove Springs, Florida 32043
United States
Office Phone: 205-807-0343
Member since 2011
Membership Type: IACP
Profession(s)
Lawyer, Mediator Area(s) of Practice: Civil Law, Collaborative Law, Family Law, Mediation
License(s): Licensed to practice law in Alabama since 1990. Member of Birmingham Bar Association, Alabama Bar Association, and American Bar Association. Admitted to practice in all United States District Courts in Alabama and in the 11th Circuit.
Professional Activities
~Executive Director, Global Collaborative Law Council, 2019 ~President, Global Collaborative Law Council, 2016-2018 ~Founder/Member, Birmingham Collaborative Alliance ('BCA') ~President, Birmingham Collaborative Alliance, 2013-2014 ~Co-chairman, American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution Committee on Collaborative Law, 2014-2018 ~Public Relations Chairman, BCA, 2012-2014 ~Membership, Recruiting and Compliance Officer, BCA, 2011-2012 ~IACP Public Education Advisory Committee -Inaugural Chairman of Birmingham Bar Association Collaborative Law Committee, 2017 ~Alabama Law Institute Committee on Collaborative Practice ~Alabama Supreme Court Special Committee on Collaborative Law Rules of Procedure ~Alabama Law Institute Family Law Standing Committee ~Board of Directors of Global Collaborative Law Council (Secretary, 2013-2015) ~Alabama Lawyer Board of Editors, 2013-2018 ~Super Lawyers, Top 25 Women in Alabama, 2013 ~Super Lawyers, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 Personal Injury Defense, Medical Malpractice ~The Best Lawyers in America, Medical Malpractice Defense, Product Liability Litigation, and Professional Malpractice Law ~Litigation Counsel of America ~Alabama Pattern Jury Instruction Committee (2007-2013) ~Alabama Bar Association (member Family Law, ADR and Litigation sections) ~Birmingham Bar Association (member Collaborative Law Committee, ADR Section and Women Lawyers Section; president, ADR Section, 2015) ~Birmingham Bar Association Executive Committee (2015) ~American Bar Association (member Dispute Resolution, Family Law and Litigation sections, Committee on Collaborative Law, Expanding Collaborative Practice subcommittee) ~Defense Research Institute ~Alabama Defense Lawyers' AssociationUndergraduate Education
BA, magna cum laude, Political Science, Birmingham-Southern College, 1986
Postgraduate Education
JD Vanderbilt University School of Law, 1990
Professional Education
I have over 200 hours of training in Collaborative Practice and Domestic Relations Mediation.
Comments
For the past 28 years, the primary focus of my practice has been representing doctors, nurses and hospitals in medical malpractice cases. Because I have the good fortune to work with talented lawyers who represent a diverse array of clients, I also have significant experience handling products liability cases, probate disputes, employment disputes, worker compensation cases, and business litigation. In June, 2010, I discovered Collaborative Practice, which is essentially an alternative way to help clients construct creative resolution to their legal disputes outside of court. Since that time, I have devoted a lot of professional energy towards bringing Collaborative Practice to Alabama. I co-founded Alabama’s first Collaborative Practice Group -- Birmingham Collaborative Alliance; worked on the Alabama Law Institute Committee which was responsible for vetting Alabama’s version of the Uniform Collaborative Law Act (enacted, 2014); created resources for other professionals to use to market and advance their own Collaborative Practice careers; and served on committees within the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, the Global Collaborative Law Council, and the American Bar Association which have as their purpose expanding the use of Collaborative Practice. I have extensive Collaborative Practice training. While I maintain a thriving litigation practice, I enjoy helping clients to resolve their disputes collaboratively and speaking about Collaborative Practice whenever I have the opportunity. Whether I am litigating or collaborating, I am committed to helping clients identify the best means for resolving whatever dispute has brought them to my office in the most efficient, creative, and respectful manner possible.