Melanie George Smith | Newark, DE Lawyer

• Member | Delaware State Bar Association

• Junior Achievement of Delaware, Alumni Award
• Children and Families First, Muriel Gilman Child Advocate Award
• Delaware Charter School Network, Advocate Award
• U.S. Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Commissioner's Award
• Woman of Style Award, YWCA
• Community Character Development Award, Western Family YMCA

I successfully helped a young man gain custody of his son back from his mother-in-law. My client was a recovering addict who worked hard to turn his life around. His mother-in-law would not agree to rescind her guardianship of the boy. I fought for my client and after a hearing, he got his son back. It was very rewarding.

I work hard and treat each client as if I were in their shoes. I've been down before and needed help. I know what it's like to need someone else for help, and I make sure my clients know I understand them, I care about them, and I will fight very hard for them. I have been blessed to have worked with fantastic clients who then spread my name to others, and so the practice has grown.

Hard work, intellect, years of experience, compassion.

Very important. I was born and raised in Delaware, and with the exception of when I attended college and law school, I have lived here ever since. The relationships I have built over nearly 50 years are used to benefit the needs of each client.

Most importantly, I can let a potential client know whether they really need a lawyer. If they don't, I refer them to a source to help solve their problem. If they don't have sufficient income to pay me, I make referrals to legal services agencies that provide legal help to people with low incomes. I can generally assess the situation and offer a brief strategy for how I would recommend proceeding.

Name, contact information, description of the issue or need for my help.

There are a lot of great lawyers in Delaware, and I'm proud to serve the people of Delaware alongside them. Because I am a small firm, I am able to charge lower rates than others as I keep my overhead very low.

Helping solve problems for clients. Knowing that I've saved a business client money or otherwise protected them in drafting a contract. Bringing together a parent and child in custody and visitation cases. Helping people start a new life through a divorce. Helping a parent obtain guardianship or a power of attorney over their adult disabled son or daughter. Everybody who comes to a lawyer needs help. That's what we do.

I love being a mother to my two children, ages 8 and 6. My son has a disability and I spend a lot of time advocating for him and for people with special needs. I am an avid reader and love the outdoors.

Yes, I've nearly always served on a nonprofit board of directors, including: World Trade Center Delaware Leadership Delaware Child Inc. Community Legal Aid Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement Children's Advocacy Center Child Protection Accountability Commission Delaware Guardianship Commission Delaware Access to Justice commission Delaware National Guard and Reserve Emergency Assistance Fund Christiana Fire Company YMCA (Bear Glasgow and Western Family)