Melissa represents clients in corporate transactions of all types, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, lending transactions, and financing transactions. 

She also assists start-up businesses with entity formation, including articles of organization, financing concerns, and liability issues.

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Melissa represents both buyers and sellers of commercial real estate in every aspect of the purchase process. She drafts and negotiates purchase agreements, lease agreements, financing instruments, and all other related agreements. She also counsels clients on every step of the due diligence process relating to title, survey, financing and land use matters.

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Selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America(link is external)© "Ones to Watch" for Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law and Real Estate Law (2021)

Section Council, Business Law Section, North Carolina Bar Association (2019-present)

Member, North Carolina Bar Association (2016-present)

Member, American Bar Association (2016-present)

Vice-President (2019-present), Secretary (2017-2019), Boylan Heights Neighborhood Association 

Moderator, “An Industry on the Brink: Legal Developments in Esports," Cleveland-Marshall College of Law’s Entertainment and Sports Law Symposium, April 12, 2019

Co-author (with Ryan Fairchild), "The Business of Being a Pro Gamer: Four Ways to Protect Your Value," Esports Observer,​ February 2018

Author, Seduction by Technology: Why Consumers Opt Out of Privacy by Buying into the Internet of Things, 94 TEX L. REV. 1023 (2016)

As the daughter of a Navy-Commander-turned-business-executive and a school counselor, I learned early on that if you work hard, treat other people well, and never hide the ball, then you’ve made your own luck and you’ll be successful. This mantra has carried me through two sales jobs and halfway across the country. Along the way, I gained experience in both the mortgage industry and the software industry. In both industries, the key to success was the same: work hard, treat other people well, and never hide the ball.  Some of my favorite moments were being able to find out a client’s ultimate goals and then help them find the right product or package to meet those goals. I approach my law practice the same way—I learn what my client’s goals are and then work hard to make them happen.

When I’m not in the office, I enjoy running with my dogs, watching Carolina basketball, attending Hurricanes games, and spending time with my husband.

Recent Publications & Media

Speaking Engagements

June 13, 2019

Brooks Pierce Attorney Moderates Panel on Esports

Brooks Pierce attorney Melissa Bailey recently acted as moderator for a panel entitled “An Industry on the Brink: Legal Developments in Esports.” The panel was held during the ninth annual Entertainment and Sports Law Symposium. The panel discussed players’ rights, if a governing body was necessary...Read more

Recognitions

The 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America © recognized 73 Brooks Pierce attorneys as industry...(read more)

Recent Publications & Media

Five New Associates Join Brooks Pierce

Firm News
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September 28, 2017
Brooks Pierce, a leading law firm in North Carolina, is pleased to announce that five new associates have recently joined the firm. Dan Colston and Sarah Saint will work primarily at the firm’s Greensboro office, while Melissa Bailey, Amanda Whorton...(read more)