COLUMBIA, SC – Raleigh attorney Melissa Cleary was recently recognized as a Board Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation Law by the North Carolina State Bar.Cleary received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of North Carolina and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Mary’s College.

Cleary has handled cases in the Civil District and Superior Courts of North Carolina, the North Carolina Court of Appeals, the North Carolina Industrial Commission and the EEOC. She has also handled matters in all three Federal District Courts in North Carolina and has appeared before the North Carolina Supreme Court. Cleary was the first female defense attorney in North Carolina to be inducted into the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers. She has also served in a number of leadership roles with the National Workers’ Compensation Defense Network (NWCDN), including vice president, treasurer and chair of the NWCDN’s Workers’ Compensation Symposium. Cleary is a member of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys, North Carolina State Bar, North Carolina Bar Association, Wake County Bar Association and Claims and Litigation Management Alliance.

Cleary has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America© for workers’ compensation and professional malpractice defense, North Carolina Super Lawyers “Rising Star” and holds an AV® rating by Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™.

The North Carolina State Bar, an agency of the State of North Carolina, certifies lawyers as specialists in designated practice areas as a service to the public. The program assists members of the public in the selection of legal counsel by identifying lawyers who have demonstrated special knowledge, skill and proficiency in certain areas of law. The program also gives lawyers a credible way of making their expertise known to the public and other lawyers.