Melanie Hubbard exclusively practices family law. She has successfully litigated numerous custody, equitable distribution, and support cases, negotiated complex property settlement agreements and leads Malinowski Hubbard, PLLC's adoption and appellate practices. Melanie has presented cases to both the Court of Appeals of Virginia and the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Melanie represents clients throughout Northern Virginia in the full range of domestic relations matters and has particular expertise in the custody rights of grandparents and other third parties. She was one of the main contributors to the Virginia Family Law Coalition’s report to the Virginia Senate Rules Committee (October 2013) on the rights of parents to control the care and custody of their children without infringement by third parties, which recommended preservation of existing and well-developed law on third party custody and visitation.
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Melanie co-authored Chapter 3, Support and Property Provisions in Separation and Support Agreements, of the Seventh Edition of Virginia Continuing Legal Education’s “Negotiating and Drafting Marital Agreements” handbook, which was published in 2016, as well as the Eighth Edition published in 2019. Melanie’s contributions focused on the child support and spousal support provisions of marital agreements. Melanie was also selected to Virginia Super Lawyers’ 2016-2017 Virginia Rising Stars lists and to its Super Lawyers list in 2023 and 2024, being recognized by Virginia Super Lawyers as part of only 5% of Virginia attorneys selected in these years. Melanie has also been recognized by the Virginia Access to Justice Commission as a “Pro Bono Service Honor Roll” member for the 2021 to 2022 and 2022 to 2023 bar years.
Melanie has an analytical style of practice and calm demeanor. Often, family law cases involve disputes that are emotionally intense, and she provides competent, effective representation while trying to lessen the emotional toll on her clients. Melanie listens to her clients' goals and works with them to develop a strategy and action plan tailored to meet those goals.
Melanie previously served as a judicial law clerk for The Honorable LeRoy F. Millette, Jr. (Ret.) for two and a half years at the Court of Appeals of Virginia and the Supreme Court of Virginia. During her clerkship, Melanie researched Virginia law extensively and assisted Justice Millette in preparing opinions on various areas of the law. She attributes her analytical approach to cases to her experience as a judicial law clerk.
Following Melanie’s tenure as a judicial law clerk, she returned to the practice of family law. Melanie first developed her knowledge of this practice area during law school while serving as a law clerk at a family law firm, and her first job out of law school was at a Tyson’s Corner law firm as a family law associate.
During law school, Melanie was selected as a member of the Moot Court Board and came in first place in the 19th Annual Domenick L. Gabrielli National Family Law Moot Court Competition held in Albany, New York.
Melanie is admitted to practice in all Virginia state courts and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, and she represented the prevailing party on appeal for the following cases:
Supreme Court of Virginia: Spear v. Omary
Court of Appeals of Virginia: Pederson v. Pederson, Emami v. Harlowe, Warme v. Warme, Cain v. Cain, and Yazdi v. Darei
Areas of Practice
- Divorce
- Child Custody & Visitation
- Third Party/Grandparents’ Rights to Custody & Visitation
- Adoptions
- Asset Division
- Child & Spousal Support
- Marital Agreements
- Prenuptial Agreements
- Post-Divorce Matters
- Mediation
- Name Changes
- Appeals
