Melissa D. Cianci

Bio

Melissa Cianci exclusively practices family law, while diligently focusing her efforts to ensure her clients understand the legal process and make well-informed, educated decisions. Her no-nonsense approach to complex issues has earned her a reputation of being an aggressive advocate for her clients, yet she is focused on settlement. As a testament to her legal abilities and effectiveness, she receives continuous referrals from former satisfied clients and other attorneys.

Melissa is the managing attorney of Cianci Law, PC, a role that lends to her appreciation of business owners and the complexities they face while going through the dissolution or modification of support process. She is also the Chief Administrative Officer for Adoption Choices, Inc., a private full service adoption agency headquartered in Colorado.

Melissa was born in Sacramento and raised in Southern California. She graduated cum laude from California State University, Sacramento, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Communication. Her high academic achievement resulted in a lifelong membership in the honor society, Lambda Pi Eta, Epsilon Phi Chapter. She graduated from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 2005. During her tenure at McGeorge, Melissa received prestigious recognitions for her academic accomplishments. It was during her participation with the Community Legal Services program that she recognized her calling and dedicated her career to appreciating the complexities and intricacies of family law.

Certified Legal Specialties

• Certified Family Law Specialist, certified by the California Board of Legal Specialization

Bar Admissions

• California, 2005
• Nevada, 2017
• Hawaii, 2018
• Colorado, 2019
• Oklahoma, 2020
• New York, 2020
• Texas, 2021
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of California, 2006
• U.S. District Court District of Hawaii, 2018

Education

• Spears School of Business, Oklahoma State University
  • MBA – 2023
• McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific, Sacramento, California
  • J.D. – 2005
  • Honors: Recipient of the Loren S. Dhal Scholarship for academic excellence in bankruptcy
  • Honors: Recipient of the prestigious Witkin Award for academic excellence in professional responsibility
• California State University, Sacramento, Sacramento, California
  • B.A. cum laude – 2002

Professional Associations & Memberships

• Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys
• Placer County Bar Association, Family Law Section
• Academy of California Adoption – ART Lawyers
• Association of Certified Family Law Specialists
• American Bar Association, Family Law Section
• American Bar Association, Assisted Reproductive Technologies Committee
• Orange County Bar Association, Family Law Section
• Lambda Pi Eta, Epsilon Phi Chapter

Practice Areas

• Adoption
• Divorce
• Pre & Postnuptial Agreements
• Family Law
• Child Custody & Support
• Surrogacy