Melanie Rae Tardell

Melanie was on a different life and career path when fate stepped in and the legal profession found her. After she overcame challenges of divorce and child custody, largely due to an attorney's advocacy, Melanie felt called to become an attorney herself. Her experience as a client gives her an insightful perspective on what clients face while her education provides an understanding of the legal attributes of each case. Having genuine empathy, a knack for research and writing, and a tenacious spirit, Melanie aims to advocate for and empower each client by helping them navigate their case and move beyond adversity.

Over the years, Melanie grew disheartened as she observed others' disappointment in their legal matters. Between wanting to offer people an improved legal experience and knowing that Big Law was not her path, Melanie was motivated to open a client-friendly law practice built on integrity, compassion, and accessibility. As a result, Signified Law was born.​

Melanie operates with a level-headed, balanced approach on delicate issues as she recognizes it doesn’t benefit a client to inflame an already adversarial situation. As the emotional and financial cost to the client tends to be greater the longer a case drags out in court, Melanie offers alternative solutions such as mediation and/or negotiation with the goal of settling matters more favorably and expeditiously out of court. Regardless of the strategy, her sole purpose is to lighten the client's load and protect their interests.