Recognized in Ones to Watch since 2024 
Melissa A. Hamer is a partner with Kroger, Gardis & Regas LLP (KGR) in Indianapolis, Indiana. She represents clients in civil litigation and regulatory matters involving construction, environmental issues, insurance coverage, and personal injury defense. Melissa is also a registered civil mediator.
Her recognized practice areas include:
- Construction Law
- Environmental Law
- Litigation - Environmental
- Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
In August 2025, Melissa received the Indianapolis Bar Association’s first V. Sue Shields Young Female Lawyer Award. The award recognizes an emerging female attorney who demonstrates professionalism, a commitment to the legal profession, and service to the ideals of justice.
Melissa was selected by her peers for recognition by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Environmental Litigation from 2019 through 2026. She was also recognized by Best Lawyers as one of its Ones to Watch from 2024 through 2026 in Environmental Law, Construction Law, and Personal Injury Litigation - Defense.
Melissa contributes to the legal community through volunteer work and leadership with the Indianapolis Bar Association, the Indiana State Bar Association, and the Indiana Bar Foundation. She has served on the Executive Committee of the Women and Law Division of the Indianapolis Bar Association since 2017 and chaired its Mentoring Program in 2018 and 2019. Since 2021, she has served as an at-large member of the Executive Committee of the Indianapolis Bar Association’s Insurance Coverage Section. In 2025, she was elected to a two-year term as Vice Chair of the Indianapolis Chapter of Women in E-Discovery. She previously served as the chapter’s Social Media Director and Membership Director.
Melissa was elected to the National Board of Directors of the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM) in 2020 and was re-elected to a second four-year term beginning in 2024. She became Chair of the IHMM Board in 2025 after previously serving as Vice Chair and Secretary of its Executive Committee. The IHMM administers credentials involving hazardous materials, dangerous materials, and occupational safety and health. Melissa regularly presents on environmental law, including PFAS matters, administrative law and procedure, construction law, and insurance law.
Melissa has been a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) since 2010. The CHMM credential is accredited under ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024, the International Standard for Personnel Certification Programs, and by the Council of Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards (CESB).
She is also an environmental professional under ASTM E1527, which addresses environmental and real estate due diligence, and under applicable U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidance.
Before joining KGR, Melissa worked as a civil defense attorney with another Indianapolis law firm, where she handled environmental, construction, and architect and engineer professional malpractice litigation, as well as insurance coverage matters. Her prior legal experience also includes e-discovery and electronically stored information management. She served as a law clerk with the Marion Environmental Court under Judge David Certo, with the Civil Litigation Section of the Indiana Attorney General’s Office, and with Chief Environmental Law Judge Mary Davidsen at the former Indiana Office of Environmental Adjudication.
Melissa’s business and regulatory background includes environmental and real estate redevelopment consulting, environmental laboratory work, and regulatory service in multiple states and regulatory programs. For several years, she operated a certified woman-owned business providing environmental risk assessment, technical review, regulatory negotiation, and business development services to environmental consultants in Indiana and Illinois.
Melissa also served as a senior environmental manager and environmental risk assessor with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). She was an invited peer reviewer and is credited in the 2012 IDEM Remediation Closure Guide. She is a founder and former vice president and treasurer of the Midwestern States Environmental Consultants Association and helped organize the 2006, 2009, and 2010 Midwestern States Risk Assessment Symposiums.
Melissa earned her Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Columbia College, graduating cum laude. She earned her Juris Doctor from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, along with a graduate certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law.
