Melissa Hill is an accomplished attorney practicing criminal and civil litigation in both state and federal courts, with a focus on civil rights, personal injury, and criminal defense. She represents clients in Title IX investigations, campus disciplinary proceedings, and student conduct matters, as well as a broad range of criminal cases including homicide and manslaughter, felony and sex offenses, underage alcohol violations, domestic violence, and appeals. Melissa also represents attorneys and doctors before their respective licensing boards.

Melissa earned her Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1984 and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. She received her Juris Doctor with high honors from the UNC School of Law in 1987, where she was admitted to the Order of the Coif and served on the North Carolina Law Review. She joined Tharrington Smith that same year and has authored multiple legal publications, including Tennessee v. Garner – The Use of Deadly Force to Arrest as an Unreasonable Search and Seizure and Branch Banking & Trust Company v. Wright – Creditors’ Rights to Entireties Property Awarded to Nondebtor Spouse Upon Divorce.

Active in professional circles, Melissa has served as an officer on the Criminal Justice Council of the North Carolina Bar Association. A native of Asheville, North Carolina, she was inspired by her father, who practiced law for more than fifty years. Outside of her legal work, Melissa enjoys mountain biking across North Carolina, playing tennis, making music on the guitar and piano, gardening, cooking, and traveling. She lives with her husband and their daughter, Eliza Jade.