Melanie S. Griffin, Esq. is a triple-graduate of The Florida State University (Business Finance, 2003; MBA, 2006; JD, 2006). As a collegiate member of Delta Zeta’s Alpha Sigma Chapter, Melanie served as Chapter President; represented the Chapter at Delta Zeta’s Centennial Convention and on the FSU Homecoming Court, winning Homecoming Princess Runner-Up; helped to found the Pi Alpha Chapter at the University of Florida; and received multiple Delta Zeta and Panhellenic awards and scholarships, including the Florence Hood Miner and Grace Mason Lundy Awards.

After Florida State, Melanie’s entrepreneurial skills were honed for thirteen years at a prominent Florida corporate law firm where she served as a law clerk and then attorney from 2006-19, the last five years of which she was an Equity Shareholder and the Managing Partner of the Tampa Office. In 2019, Melanie joined Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP, an Am Law 200 firm that is the largest law firm in Tampa Bay, Of Counsel and Shumaker Advisors Florida as Senior Advisor, Business-to-Business Relationships.

During her legal career, Melanie has served as the 2011-12 President of the Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers, then the largest women lawyers chapter in Florida that won the Chapter of the Year Award at the conclusion of Melanie’s presidency; 2013-14 President of The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division, one of the largest young lawyer divisions in the country with over 25,000 members; and the 2021-22 President of the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers. As a result of her skillsets and leadership, Melanie has been an AV-rated attorney since 2010 and honored by Super Lawyers for 12 consecutive years, Florida Trend Legal Elite for 10 years, and Best Lawyers in America for 5 consecutive years. She has also been recognized as Florida’s Most Productive Young Lawyer (2009), an FSU Notable Nole (2016), and with the FSU College of Business Recent Alumni Achievement Award (2017), Florida Bar YLD Outstanding Woman Lawyer of Achievement Award (2018), Florida Bar SSFS Mentor of the Year Award (2019), and FSU College of Law Alumni Association Service Award (2020).

In 2017, she founded Spread Your Sunshine  to effect positive change by offering unique inspirational products in the marketplace and consulting entrepreneurs and small business owners on best practices. Also an inspirational speaker in high demand, Melanie has appeared on national and international stages, including for Fortune 500 companies, AmLaw 200 law firms, one of The Big Four, the ALFA International Client Seminar, the US/Canada KNOW Women Summit, Women Empower X Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., the National Court Reporters Association, the American Bar Association, the New York Bar Association, Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Florida Paralegal Association, The Florida Bar, multiple Chapters of the Junior League and Society for Human Resource Management, several universities and law schools, and many others.

Melanie’s success shining others through the glass ceiling to their most audacious dreams was celebrated through her receipt of the TBBJ BusinessWoman of the Year Angie Joseph Excellence in Mentorship Award (2016), Tampa Bay Metro Inspiring Woman in Business Features (2016-17), GSWCF Woman of Promise Award (2017), FSU Inspire Award (2017), KNOW Tampa Feature (2018), The Best of KNOW Feature (2019), and KNOW Tampa Contributor Feature (2020).

Melanie is happiest when she is building up all those around her, including her husband Mike, son Maverick, and Golden Lab Molly.