About Melissa
Melissa Larsen has worked in courtrooms, state workplaces and personal practice over a profession that spans more than 20 years. She earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Rhode Island in 1991 and a J.D. from Western New England University School of Law in 1995. Those academic years led right into a varied legal and public service trajectory.
Early in her expert life she moved into the monetary sector as a fiduciary officer and relationship supervisor at Fleet Boston Financial in 1998. That position preceded a go back to public service. In 2003 she joined the Rhode Island Department of Lawyer General as Special Assistant Lawyer General, handling matters on behalf of the office.
In 2011 she opened the Law Office of Melissa Larsen, Esq., marking the begin of her private practice. Six years later she took the bench in her place of origin when she became a Municipal Court Judge for the City of Cranston in 2017. On the bench she presides over municipal matters and handles every day docket duties common to local courts.
Larsen is licensed in Rhode Island and to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Her expert affiliations underscore a long engagement with felony law and courtroom administration. She has chaired the Criminal Law Bench Bar Committee since 2011 and is a member of the Rhode Island Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the RIAG Criminal Division Alumni Association. She has served on the Local Rule Committee for the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, including its Criminal Law sub-committee, since 2018, and she joined the district court’s Access to Justice Committee in 2020. She is also a member of the Rhode Island Bar Association Family Law Committee.
Colleagues and court customers come upon Larsen in more than one roles. She balances case work in private practice with responsibilities at the municipal bench. Her calendar reflects both court appearances and committee conferences that shape nearby practice rules and access initiatives.
Her practice combines criminal protection, household regulation things and municipal courtroom representation. She continues to function her private regulation workplace while serving as a municipal pass judgement on in Cranston, dealing with matters across those practice areas.
