Melissa Grimes joined Hedrick Gardner in 2009, focusing her practice on workers’ compensation. In 2017, she joined the North Carolina Industrial Commission and served as a Deputy Commissioner in the Commission’s Charlotte regional office. She returned to Hedrick Gardner in 2018 as Special Counsel.
Melissa enjoys the personal interaction she is able to have with her clients. “The relationships I develop with my clients are one of my favorite aspects of my practice,” she said, “I enjoy helping them reach the best possible solution to the legal challenges they face.”
Originally from eastern North Carolina, Melissa graduated magna cum laude from East Carolina University earning a Bachelors degree in Communication/Public Relations. She went on to attend law school in Buies Creek, North Carolina at Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law where she excelled academically and served as membership editor of the Campbell Law Review. During law school, Melissa served as a judicial extern for Judge Sanford Steelman, Jr. at the North Carolina Court of Appeals.
Melissa is an active member of the North Carolina State Bar, North Carolina Bar Association, and the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys. She has served on the Mecklenburg County Bar continuing legal education committee helping develop and implement continuing legal education courses.
Outside her law practice, Melissa spends most of her free time with her husband, two young children, and their two golden retrievers. She was a ballet dancer until she graduated college and maintains a love of the arts.
PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC INVOLVEMENT:
- North Carolina Bar Association
- North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys
- Mecklenburg County Bar Association
HONORS:
- Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2021-2025 in Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers