Melody Ridgley Fortunato

Melody Ridgley Fortunato

4.6
Rating: 6.6

Licensed for 33 years

Family Lawyer at Fort Lauderdale, FL
Practice Areas: Family

12 S.E. 7th Street, Suite 711, Fort Lauderdale, FL

This lawyer was disciplined by a state licensing authority in 2004
See Details

About Melody

Biography

Practice Areas

1

Practice Area

Family 100%

Family law and criminal cases related to family law.

100%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 30 minutes


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

Looking for an attorney? Avvo can help.

search module image

Search our directory

Quickly connect with top attorneys through our legal directory to get help with your legal issue.

chat module image

Avvo's live chat agents can help coordinate a consultation with a local attorney.

Chat with a live agent who can match you with the right attorney for your legal needs.

Chat with

Licenses

Licensed in Florida for 33 years

State: Florida

Acquired: 1992

Member in Good Standing

Lawyer disciplined by state licensing authority in 2004

Location

Fortunato & Associates, PA

12 S.E. 7th Street, Suite 711, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 333042617

Ad

Transform legal challenges into solutions.

Connect now to review your situation.

The Avvo Rating explained

display-bg

The Avvo Rating explained

Melody Ridgley Fortunato's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.6 /5.0

9 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (9) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 1 of 1 review | Child Support

Posted by Luis | September 18, 2021 | Hired Attorney | Child Support

Amazing

lets start to say, that Melody and his team make me believe that the system is fair when you are represented by them. in 2019 I have to represent myself in a case of family matters child support and visitation with a 90k salary at that time, with a promotion that I was offered at the Time, I was the... petitioner ,the respondent (mother of my child) had a experience lawyer and guest what? i was destroyed by this lawyer were i start paying 1250 + 175 in arrears that the mother claim, the worst part my visitation right were a joke. After 1 year and 8 months i say no more and move to south Florida to be next to my daughter. i found a job making 73k per year but because i was not able to pay for a lawyer and after couple attempts to modify my support and visitation my child support stay the same yes 1250+175. pandemic hit my new job close down and i had to dedicate myself to do Uber ( while the arrears still accumulating ). to all this instance i never stop supporting my kids. Now I found Melody and his team via his Son that was a co-worker on my previous job, after i contacted her explain to her all my situation she say lets do it and guide me to all this process until we take the case into mediation and here is when i felt when a lawyer care for his client mediation last approx. 6hr. she was very calm and smooth back and forth without missing any details. to be honest i was so impress with her gracious Calm and determination. NOW here is where everything make sense when i say " if you are represented by her and her Team you will finally see that the system is Fair" now im making 95k my visitations was controlled by the respondent all the time. during mediation she set my child support to 650+250 in arrears of course because until you don't submit a petition for modification all your child support still accumulating and the most important now i will have a fair visitation that include plenty over night and finally i will have the time that my daughter need to be with her other side of the family in 2019 just because i can not afford a lawyer i was destroyed in court and even now after im making more im paying what is fair i will still supporting my kids until the end regardless. thank you melody and team. important note: the other party Lawyer in this mediation was the same lawyer that i faced on 2019..... and this phrase never will be forget by my and i call this the Melody phrase :" YOU GOT ME NOW" thanks Melody and team .... i wish that all the money that i extra pay after 2019 can be accredited to all the arrears that i accumulate when i lose my job. She put her Heart Guys Trust me...... Melody Fortunato and Team " YOU GOT ME NOW"

See All Client Reviews

Melody Ridgley Fortunato's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Melody
David L. Hirsch headshot
David Hirsch

Family lawyer | Apr 25

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

View All Endorsements

No Endorsement Data Available Yet
This attorney hasn't created any attorney endorsements recently on Avvo.

Experience

Rating:  6.6 (Good)

Professional misconduct

This lawyer was disciplined by a state licensing authority in 2004.

Admonishment issued in FL, 2004

updated on 02/15/2012

An admonition means an attorney did something wrong but may still practice law. The Bar gives the lawyer an admonition in hopes that he or she will not repeat the behavior.

Public Reprimand issued in FL, 2002

updated on 02/25/2022

Public reprimand means the attorney did something wrong but may still practice law. The Bar warns the lawyer in hopes that he or she will not repeat the behavior. Details of the infraction are made part of the public record.

Suspension issued in FL, 2001

updated on 02/25/2022

Suspension means an attorney lost his or her license to practice law for a period of time. The attorney typically returns to practicing law when the suspension expires.

Public Reprimand issued in FL, 1999

updated on 02/25/2022

Public reprimand means the attorney did something wrong but may still practice law. The Bar warns the lawyer in hopes that he or she will not repeat the behavior. Details of the infraction are made part of the public record.

Honors

1996

Golden Rule Award, JC Penny

Work Experience

1992 - Present

Attorney, Fortunato & Associates, P.A.

Education

1991

St. Thomas University School of Law

law

1988

Nova Southeastern University

BS - Bachelor of Science

Languages

English

Activity

Avvo Rating

Our Rating is calculated using information the lawyer has included on their profile in addition to the information we collect from state bar associations and other organizations that license legal professionals. Attorneys who claim their profiles and provide Avvo with more information tend to have a higher rating than those who do not.

What determines Avvo Rating?
  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
  • Legal community recognition Peer endorsements, associations, awards
  • Legal thought leadership Publications, speaking engagements
  • Discipline
    This lawyer was disciplined by a state licensing authority in 2004
    Disciplinary information may not be comprehensive, or updated. We recommend that you always check a lawyer's disciplinary status with their respective state bar association before hiring them.
Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution