Top best Probate Lawyers in ZIP 63017 | 5 available

I wanted to be a lawyer and help people since I was 12 years old.   I worked and "student loaned" my way through college and law school.  I was the first person from the Nolan family to obtain a college degree and then a law degree.  Among my many jobs growing up and throughout my schooling I was a paperboy, a bell hop, a busboy, construction laborer, pizza chef. I was privileged to work as a Summer Intern with the Illinois Attorney General's Office between my Second and Third years of Law School and obtained valuable experience there.  I was a research assistant to one of our professors during law school.. After graduation from law school I worked at a small firm in Alton, Illinois (my home town) and practiced in general civil litigation, including both plaintiff and defendant personal injury cases.  I also handled criminal and domestic relations.. After taking the Missouri Bar exam, I moved to St. Louis County and worked for several law firms handling a variety of cases and courtroom work, including:  Probate, Criminal Defense, DWI Defense, Divorce and Family Law, Auto Accident Injuries and Worker's compensation.. In late 1991, I decided to establish my own law firm and I have been on my own in Solo practice since that time.  Although I now focus primarily on Probate Law, Estates and Estate Planning, I have considerable experience over the years in many areas of law.  I enjoy serving my clients and I believe it is a privilege to practice law.. I currently live in Creve Couer and I am a member of the Creve Coeur Police and Public Safety Committee.  Among my hobbies are running half marathons, cycling, DIY home projects and playing the guitar.

I devote my practice to helping families navigate disputes involving estate plans and probate administration. My trusts and estates litigation practice includes trust and will contests, the removal of fiduciaries, demands for accountings, and contested guardianships. I am also frequently appointed by probate judges to represent individuals facing guardianship petitions, and as a court-appointed fiduciary.. Like all too many of us, I was first intorduced to the unique legal needs of seniors when a loved one developed Alzheimer's disease.  I saw first hand the devastating impact this dreaded disease can have both on the person and that person's loved ones.  Years of watching my aunt start to "slip" were followed by helping my family navigate the complex progression from assisted living, to memory care, to finally hospice.  The one consolation was that my aunt was able to receive the care she needed in the facilities she would have wanted because her family had consulted with an elder law lawyer to protect her finances.. I had found my passion.  After spending the first decade of my practice as a lawyer in court representing parties in lawsuits, I dedicated myself to developing the knowledge necessary to help other families who were facing the same challenges I saw my aunt and her family go through.  I have also continued to use my years of experience as a litigator to help individuals understand their rights and, when necessary, go to court to protect those rights.

A. Melissia Riddle, Esq. is the founding member of the Riddle Law Group located in Chesterfield, Missouri.  She received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin in 1990, and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law in 1993.  Ms. Riddle’s practice primarily focuses on estate planning, special needs planning, probate and trust administration, and fiduciary litigation, with an emphasis on trust and estate litigation.  Her practice also includes officer and director liability, real estate litigation, and appellate practice.. Ms. Riddle’s experience in trust and estate litigation brings a wealth of insight to assisting clients with their planning needs, as she often understands and recognizes areas which could potentially lead to protracted litigation if not properly addressed in the planning stages.  In approaching an estate plan, one of her main objectives is maintaining familial relationships which are easily and catastrophically damaged without a customized, well-tailored plan in place which takes into consideration varying family dynamics.. Ms. Riddle has written and lectured extensively on the topics of trust and estate litigation, trustee liability, and probate practice and procedure.  Ms. Riddle is a member of the Missouri Bar Association, the Colorado Bar Association, and the Texas Bar Association.  She has been named as a National Association of Professional Women’s Executive Woman of the Year for 2013.  Ms. Riddle also previously served on the Board of Directors for CASA, for OASIS, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Adam Morgan Foundation, a nonprofit organization which provides resources, equipment and interventions to families raising children with Autism Spectrum Disorders at little or no cost.