CHAPEL HILL, NC, October 25, 2024 - D. Melissa Averett has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

A seasoned attorney with 26 years of family law expertise, Ms. Averett excels as a North Carolina Board-Certified family law specialist with the eponymous Averett Family Law, which she established in 1998. As a managing attorney, she focuses on representing domestic violence victims against their perpetrators. Additionally, she represents clients in cases of child custody, child support, equitable distribution, property division, alimony, spousal support, adoptions, protective orders, international family law, prenuptial, marital and separation agreements, and more. Due to her vast knowledge, Ms. Averett has also presented continuing legal education classes for the N.C. State Bar, local bars, civic groups, businesses and law schools, as well as internationally regarding family violence and rape crisis services, obtaining civil domestic violence protection orders, workplace violence, tort claims in family law, child support, child custody, IVF and surrogacy, trauma informed legal representation and other family law topics.

In 2000, Ms. Averett established a nonprofit law firm called Domestic Violence Civil Legal Services, which received several grants through the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Through VAWA, passed during the Clinton Administration and still in effect today, family law attorneys were paid to represent domestic violence victims in cases of custody, child support, protective orders, alimony, and distribution of assets. For eight years, she catered to victims of various violent crimes until the funding from VAWA dried up around the time of the 2008 economic crash. During the early stages of her career, Ms. Averett gained valuable public service expertise as a 911 dispatcher for the City of Durham Emergency Services.

Ms. Averett earned a Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Arts with a minor in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1986. Subsequently, she received a JD from North Carolina Central University's School of Law and became licensed to practice through the North Carolina Bar Association in 1998. Driven to remain abreast of changes in the field, she is a member of Bar Association for Orange and Chatham counties and the North Carolina Bar Association's family law section, where she previously served as the domestic violence chair.

In addition to her professional endeavors and affiliations, Ms. Averett plays a crucial role in her community through the Family Visitation Center Advisory Committee, as Chair of Holistic Performance Initiative (About | HP Initiative), her various trainings and public speaking engagements and other local committees.

Given her professional excellence, Ms. Averett has been recognized as a North Carolina Super Lawyer every year since 2018. While her career has been filled with highlights, she takes the most pride in authoring three domestic violence laws and establishing a post-separation formula regarding temporary alimony implemented in her judicial district. Her work has significantly impacted the legal field, and she continues to strive for social change. Though hard work and dedication have brought her far in her career, she credits her success to her legal passions and her desire to help her clients and implement social change. Looking ahead, Ms. Averett intends to engage in additional public speaking opportunities, expand her international law practice and teach trauma-informed representation.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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