Melissa Hill
Recognized since 2010
Raleigh, North Carolina
Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Melissa Hill is a native of Asheville, North Carolina. She received her B.A. degree, magna cum laude, as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1984. She also attended law school at UNC, where she was admitted to the Order of the Coif, was on the North Carolina Law Review and received her J.D. with honors in 1987.
Ms. Hill is the author of Tennessee v. Garner - The Use of Deadly Force to Arrest as an Unreasonable Search and Seizure, 65 N.C.L. Rev. 155 (1986); and Branch Banking & Trust Company v. Wright - Creditors Rights to Entireties Property Awarded to Nondebtor Spouse Upon Divorce, 64 N.C.L. Rev. 1471 (1986).
Ms. Hill joined Tharrington Smith in 1987 and practices criminal and civil litigation in state and federal courts in North Carolina as well as in other states. She has earned the top rating (AV®) in Martindale Hubbell. She is a member of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the Wake County Academy of Criminal Trial Lawyers, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the American, North Carolina, and Wake County bar associations, and formerly served as an officer on the North Carolina Bar Association's Criminal Justice Council.
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Selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America®, since 2010
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AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated Lawyer, Martindale Hubbell
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Member - Order of the Coif
Contact & Links
Location
- Wells Fargo Building, Suite 1800
150 Fayetteville Street
P.O. Box 1151
Raleigh, NC 27602
Languages
- English
Education
- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, BA, graduated 1984
Bar Admissions
- North Carolina, North Carolina State Bar
Affiliations
- American Bar Association - Member
- Association of Trial Lawyers of America - Member
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers - Member
- North Carolina Advocates for Justice - Member
- North Carolina Bar Association - Member
- Wake County Academy of Criminal Trial Lawyers - Member
- Wake County Bar Association - Member
18 The Best Lawyers in America® awards
1 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America award

Recognized in The Best Lawyers® in America 2023 for work in:
- Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Awards:
- Best Lawyers in America (since 2010)
- AVĀ® Preeminent Peer Review Rated Lawyer, Martindale Hubbell
- Member - Order of the Coif
Publications
Tennessee v. Garner - The Use of Deadly Force to Arrest as an Unreasonable Search and Seizure, 65 N.C.L. Rev. 155 (1986)Branch Banking & Trust Company v. Wright - Creditors Rights to Entireties Property Awarded to Nondebtor Spouse Upon Divorce, 64 N.C.L. Rev. 1471 (1986)
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