About Melissa Fernandez
Melissa Fernandez (Marin) constructed her legal foundations at DePaul. She earned a B.A. in English with a minor in political science in 2015, then stayed in Chicago for law program, receiving her J.D. from DePaul College of Law in 2019. She additionally completed a Certificate in Family Law while at DePaul, a credential that has shaped much of her early practice.
Her time in law school covered placements that exposed her to both court process and client advocacy. In 2018 she served as a judicial extern for the Circuit Court of Cook County. That identical yr she clerked at The Law Offices of Jonathan Merel, P.C., helping put together filings and studies for family regulation matters. Earlier, in 2017, she worked as a regulation clerk for the Legal Aid Society Metropolitan Family Services, the place she assisted on cases affecting low-income clients.
After graduation Fernandez moved into private practice. In 2019 she held associate roles at Kollias & Giese, P.C. and McSwain Nagle Giese & Rapp, P.C. Those positions concerned drafting court filings, helping litigation preparation, and counseling clients through family regulation disputes. Through those years she treated both contested and uncontested matters and gained regular courtroom experience.
Her career took any other step in 2024 when she joined Antoniolli, Cerny & Winthers, P.C. as an attorney. At the firm she continues to work on household regulation instances, drawing on her educational background and in advance hands-on work at legal aid and in clerkships. Colleagues describe her as continuous in court and thorough in preparation.
Fernandez participates in nearby professional lifestyles. Since 2020 she has been a member of the DuPage County Bar Association Wellness Committee, a role that has concerned helping programs aimed at lawyer well-being. She also maintains different expert memberships.
Clients and friends say her courtroom experience and her time at legal aid have given her a specific fluency with the realistic issues that come up in household courtroom: schedules, parenting plans, support calculations and procedural time limits. She tends to manage case preparation personally, often acting at hearings and status meetings.
Outside the office she stays connected to the communities she serves in the Chicago region. Her profession path — from legal aid thru judicial legal internship to personal company practice — has provided a range of views she applies to every matter.
She presently practices family law at Antoniolli, Cerny & Winthers, P.C.
