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Armed with more than 15 years of experience, Melissa Gillinov strives to provide her clients with solutions tailored to their legal issues and long-term goals.

A majority of Melissa's practice is dedicated to litigating insurance coverage disputes. In construction defect litigation, she represents carriers in lawsuits involving large homes, condominium associations, commercial real estate, and underground utility lines. When it comes to automobile coverage disputes, Melissa handles matters pertaining to business use exclusions in non-trucking liability policies and uninsured motorist provisions in personal, business, and umbrella policies. She has also prepared coverage opinions and represented carriers in lawsuits involving advertising injuries, loss of use claims, professional negligence, and deaths caused by work-related accidents.

In addition to handling coverage disputes for insurer clients, she represents insurance agents in subrogation actions and E&O disputes. Also, she represents companies involved in disputes regarding the Fair Housing Act and Americans With Disabilities Act.

Before joining Hinshaw, Melissa was a law clerk to the Honorable W. Matthew Stevenson, Chief Judge of the Fourth District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach, Florida.

During law school, Melissa held a number of internships, including working for the:

  • Civil Division, Office of Immigration Litigation of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.;
  • Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice; and the
  • Civil Division, Federal Tort Claims Act Office of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington D.C.

She also clerked for the Special Counsel in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C.
In addition to her other law school achievements, Melissa was an active participant in Moot Court and a member of the Moot Court Society. She was also involved with the Administrative Law Review and served as the publication's Articles Editor.

J.D., American University Washington College of Law, 2003

B.A., cum laude, Wheaton College, 1999