Melissa Peat

Melissa Peat is from Brevard County Florida where she graduated from Melbourne High School. During that time, she lettered in four sports; volleyball, swimming, softball and soccer. Thereafter, she attended Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, where she was a scholar soccer athlete. While at Stetson, she majored in business administration with a minor in German and, at the same time, played varsity soccer, for which she received a most valuable player award, maintained a scholar athlete GPA, studied abroad in Nottingham, England and completed her studies with honors prior to graduation. Also while at Stetson, Melissa met her husband, a national of England, who studied at the Florida Institute of Technology and played soccer for the national winning program.

Melissa thereafter pursued her ambition to Florida State University College of Law where she obtained a Law Degree in 2001 with two academic awards in International Law while completing an internship at the Department of State, specializing in the Free Trade Area of the Americas. She passed the Florida Bar exam in 2001 and then completed an internship with the Florida House of Representatives while undertaking her Master’s degree in International Affairs at Florida State University.

Melissa completed her Master’s degree in England in 2002, qualified as a Solicitor in 2004 at her first attempt and began her practicing legal career in England and Wales where she worked for the prestige British firm of Gilbert, Turner & Coomber in London. Thereafter, Melissa continued her law practice with McLarty’s Solictors where she headed trials in London’s high courts, and even after leaving the UK, she remains a consultant senior Solicitor with the firm. Melissa has twice been invited to lecture on comparative law with the Florida State University campus in London.