Melissa D Wischerath

Melissa has been my lawyer since 2014, when she took our IDEA case against the Eugene 4J School District. Despite having limited experience in Special Education law, Melissa spent months learning every facet of a very complex and specialized area of law. She won our daughter, who for two years had been denied any educational benefit because of her disabilities, the largest compensatory education award in the past decade at the administrative level. Now our daughter, while still finishing her high school requirements, is also taking university classes -- and doing excellent -- something we never imagined when the school district essentially tossed her away. When we appealed an offset of some of the awarded hours, Melissa was tremendously professional and exceptionally competent in her dealings in Oregon federal district court. As a lawyer myself, I honestly couldn't ask for a better advocate for my child. Just this week, she prevailed in our federal court case, obtaining ALL the relief we requested for our daughter. I highly recommend Melissa, particularly for complex special education litigation.

Melissa is a great attorney. She is professional, yet cares about her clients' personal situation. She will definitely put her clients' interests above all else. She has a sharp legal mind and is good at tackling technical complicated legal issues. She is efficient, learns fast and quickly adapts to new situations. She is responsive and gets back to her clients quickly. Melissa is cut from a different cloth. She exhibits a high level of integrity.

Melissa, did a nice job in representing PCRC, et al as plaintiffs in the recent Federal Case however the case got a little off track. The main issue was really about a land use issue and the lack of due process and discrimination against the President of PCRC and not necessarily the tenants living at the motel in question. All PCRC wants and wanted, was to have the City give him a means to work with them and do the right thing for the city and his tenants and to this day the City of Glendale still refuses to work with PCRC but they continue to issue a business license every year to the corporation. I think it was a confusing case and the Defending attorney was grasping at straws to actually come up with disparaging things against the PCRC President which got Melissa off the main issues of the case. She has good knowledge about discrimination issues and civil rights. She did a good job in discrimination part of the case but the due process portion got lost in the shuffle. Melissa is reliable and has great integrity and I would recommend her to others.