Atlantic City, N.J. – March 29, 2016 – Attorney Yolanda N. Melville has joined the Land Use, Zoning and Planning Practice Group at Cooper Levenson. Based in the firm’s Atlantic City office, Melville will work on various land issues, including commercial development, redevelopment, real estate, affordable housing and litigation.
“Yolanda brings wide-ranging experience in the housing sector, from defending the rights of victims of predatory lending practices to foreclosure and Fair Housing issues,” said Kenneth J. Calemmo, chief operating officer of Cooper Levenson. “Her energy, passion and dedication will be a great asset to the Land Use team.”
Melville previously worked as an associate attorney at Bisgaier Hoff, LLC, a civil litigation law firm in Haddonfield, N.J. She also served as Democracy Counsel for the Brennan Center for Justice in New York City, and as a clerk for the Honorable Susan F. Maven in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division.
During law school, Melville assisted critical-need clients with housing investigations, Fair Housing Act violations and predatory lending practices within the D.C. metropolitan area. She coordinated the “Take Back Your Home” Project, which provided counseling and mediation information to homeowners facing foreclosure. In 2011, Yolanda was selected as a Kellogg’s Law Fellow for the NAACP Office of the General Counsel, where she worked on housing-related and other national civil rights issues.
Melville is a board member for Family Promise of Atlantic County, a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and recently a judge for the Atlantic County Moot Court Competition. She resides in Galloway, N.J.
Cooper Levenson is a full service law firm since 1957, with 67 attorneys and New Jersey offices in Atlantic City and Cherry Hill. The firm has regional offices in Bear, Del., and Las Vegas, Nev. For more information, visit www.cooperlevenson.com.
