Tierney, Martin P.

Melinda L. Thompson joined the firm as an associate in September of 2011.  She concentrates her practice in the areas of criminal defense and government investigations.  Ms. Thompson brings ten years of litigation experience to her representation of individuals and companies at Todd & Weld.

Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Thompson was an Assistant District Attorney in Middlesex County for seven years.  During that time, she was involved in many homicide investigations.  She investigated numerous major felonies, including murder, both at the scene and in grand jury proceedings.  She tried numerous Superior Court cases, including armed robbery, armed assault to murder, rape and murder.  In 2007, she was awarded the Thomas F. Reilly Trial Team Award for demonstrating a superior standard of courtroom excellence.  In 2006, at the annual prosecutor's conference, she was awarded the Spotlight Award for her prosecution of an embezzlement case that she tried to a conviction, and successfully wrote the brief and argued the case before the Massachusetts Appeals Court.  As a prosecutor, Ms. Thompson was committed to prosecuting those responsible for crime while seeking justice for all those involved in the criminal proceedings.  She was known as a prosecutor who sought the truth at every stage of the investigation, court hearings and trials.

Prior to becoming an ADA, Ms. Thompson was an associate at the law firm Sally & Fitch LLP.  At Sally & Fitch she represented individual and corporate clients in all areas of business litigation, including contract and real estate disputes, asbestos defense, admiralty and maritime litigation. 

After graduating from law school in 2001, Ms. Thompson served as a law clerk for the Justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court.  She assisted judges in all phases of both civil and criminal litigation, which included preparing draft decisions, legal memoranda, and proposed jury instructions. 

Ms. Thompson received her BA in history, with a concentration in African American Studies, from Williams College in 1998 and her J.D. from the Maurer School of Law at the University of Indiana - Bloomington.