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Criminal Defense

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Juvenile Law

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Estate Planning

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Dedicated to Excellence

Melinda McElheny is a cum laude juris doctor graduate of Mitchell Hamline School of Law who worked her way through school assisting a local prosecutor. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management & Leadership from Friends University.

While at MHSL, she served as a law review managing editor and won a CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Deals and Disputes. Melinda is licensed in the states of Kansas and Iowa. She teaches trial advocacy skills and criminal law as a part-time Adjunct Professor.

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Holding Hands

Passionate and Empathetic

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Prior to attending law school, Melinda worked as a manager in various corporations until she suffered tremendous tragedy and loss. Her infant daughter Ina Jane died suddenly in 2010. This set off a chain of events that can only be described as horrifying: her husband was accused of--and later tried for--murder, her daughter Murphy was taken by the State, and she lost her home and her job while fighting for her family. 

But Melinda had the help of outstanding attorneys who inspired her to rise above all these occurrences. She learned to manage crisis while moving forward. She became an attorney so that she might use this experience to help others in times of need. For this reason, her research and scholarship focuses on the intersection between trauma and criminal procedure.