Melissa Rankine

Melissa Rankine joined Katherine L. Maloney & Associates, LLC as an associate attorney in 2023, bringing 15 years of paralegal experience. She was licensed in 2021 and focuses on family law matters, including divorce, allocation of parental responsibility (custody), child support, and probate issues such as guardianship of disabled adults and minor children. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Parkside, completing internships with Racine Correctional Institution’s pre-release planning program and Racine’s juvenile deferred prosecution programs. She later worked as a paralegal in civil rights litigation and creditors’ rights firms and as a social worker with the Wisconsin Department of Children and Family in Milwaukee. After moving to Chicago in 2013, Ms. Rankine obtained her Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law with a certification in Public Interest and Social Justice, while working full time at a family law firm. During law school, she served as Student Bar Association Representative, made the Dean’s List, received Loyola’s Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Award, and was active in bar and community organizations. Before joining the firm, she practiced as an attorney focused on the formation, structuring, compliance, and management of alternative investment funds for startups and angel investors. She now offers dedicated representation to her clients and serves as Secretary of the Will County Women’s Bar Association, in addition to belonging to several professional and community organizations.