Rebrand 2021: Personal Branding and Networking Strategies to Shine Beyond Your Competition

Melanie S. Griffin, Esq., a triple-graduate of Florida State University, honed her entrepreneurial skills for 13 years at a prominent Florida corporate law firm, where she served as a law clerk and then attorney from 2006–19. During the last five years of her work there, she was an equity shareholder and the Tampa office managing partner. In 2019, Melanie joined Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP, an Am Law 200 firm that is the largest law firm in Tampa Bay, as senior advisor, business-to-business relationships. During her legal career, Griffin served as the 2011–12 president of the Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers (FAWL) and 2013–14 president of the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division. In 2021–22, she will serve as president of the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers. As a result of such leadership, she has been recognized by numerous organizations, including as Florida’s Most Productive Young Lawyer (2009), FAWL Leader in the Law (2010), Super Lawyers Rising Star (Business Litigation 2010–20), Florida Trend Legal Elite (Up & Comer 2010–14, Commercial Litigation 2014–18), and more. In 2019, Melanie assisted with the launch of Nora Riva Bergman’s book 50 Lessons for Women Lawyers from Women Lawyers at the New York City Bar Association. Her contribution was published as Lesson #20, Dream Beyond Perfection! She is a sought-after keynote speaker who has addressed local, statewide, national, and international places of work and professional, community, and civic organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, the ALFA International Client Seminar, the U.S./Canada KNOW Women Summit, the American Bar Association, the New York Bar Association, Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Florida Paralegal Association, the Florida Bar,  and several universities and law schools.