Melaine Shannon Rothey heads the firm’s Domestic Relations Department, where she concentrates her practice in all aspects of Family Law, including divorce, child custody and support.

Ms. Rothey obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1979 and her Juris Doctor from Duquesne University School of Law in 1984. She is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Attorney Rothey began her career in 1984 with the Allegheny County Public Defender’s Office where she represented clients extensively before the Pennsylvania appellate courts. Since, 1987, Ms. Rothey has served as a law clerk in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, where she is currently assigned to the Honorable Lawrence O’Toole in the Criminal Division.

Prior to joining the firm in 2007, Ms. Rothey was a shareholder in a boutique law firm specializing in family law.

Ms. Rothey, who has been named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer in 2005 through 2007, has regularly served on seminar panels for the Allegheny County Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute in the areas of custody, support and equitable distribution. She is a Fellow with the Allegheny County Bar Foundation and is active in the Allegheny County Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association as a member of their Family Law sections. As a frequent pro bono attorney assisting in Protection from Abuse actions, Ms. Rothey received the 2006 Pennsylvania Bar Association Legal Services to the Public Committee Pro Bono Award.