As a young lawyer, Michael spent several years working for two of Atlanta’s premier insurance defense firms. He represented locally and nationally-known trucking companies, automobile insurers, and premises liability insurers in defense of lawsuits filed by accident victims. When Mike made a career move to the plaintiff’s side, his tenure in the large law firm environment and representation of prominent insurance companies provided Mike the experience necessary to obtain hundreds of favorable settlements and verdicts for his personal injury clients. After a decade of practicing law in Atlanta, Michael and his wife Bren decided it was time to move back to Bren’s hometown of Greenville, SC so they could help accident victims in the Upstate area and be a part of a beautiful, growing city. Michael’s experience in Atlanta’s fast-paced environment gives him a big advantage, as he has seen every type of injury and fact pattern and knows how to maximize the value of every case. His verdicts and settlements confirm his ability to get the most out of your personal injury case. Michael Melonakos was born in Monroe, Michigan and graduated from Michigan State University, where he majored in finance and international business and was the president of his fraternity. After graduation, Mike headed down to the University of Georgia for law school, and he’s been in the South ever since. While at UGA Law, Mike served as a notes editor for the Journal of Intellectual Property, was a teacher’s assistant to first-year law students in Contracts, and co-founded the Business Law Society. He credits his work ethic and compassion for our clients to his father and grandparents. When not working for his personal injury clients, Michael volunteers for the Greenville Bar Association. He regularly volunteers at his children’s schools and attends St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral. The Melonakos Law Firm is a proud sponsor of St. George’s annual Greek Festival here in Greenville, South Carolina. He enjoys spending time with his family, playing guitar, and playing golf.

Blake Smith has been representing plaintiffs in medical negligence and other personal injury cases for over 15 years. He is the managing partner of Parham Smith and Archenhold, LLC, formerly Parham and Smith, which is based in Greenville, South Carolina but handles cases all over the state of South Carolina. Blake’s firm has been listed in Martindale Hubbell’s Bar Register of Pre-Eminent Lawyers and Blake has been AV rated, the highest rating possible, given by his peers and in both legal ability and ethics. He has been named to South Carolina’s Super Lawyers, an award bestowed upon 2% of lawyers in the State, based upon their performance in the practice of law. While maintaining a busy and continually growing practice, Blake also serves upon the Advisory Board for the Paralegal Program at Greenville Technical College. He recently completed his 10th year as an adjunct pro bono professor at Clemson University where he teaches Sports Law.