Sarah Elizabeth Melendez is an associate in Tressler's HOA/Condominium & Common Interest Community Association Law Practice Group. Her practice includes knowledge in the areas of real estate financing, insurance, foreclosures and interpreting banking laws and regulations. Sarah clerked at Tressler LLP for two years before she was an associate.
Sarah received her J.D. from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Law and currently works out of Tressler's Chicago office.
Where are you from?
I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii but grew up in Austin, Texas. I was lucky enough to start working for Tressler when I was in law school.
What was your first job?
I worked at Starbucks as a barista throughout undergraduate school. Once, Matthew McConaughey came into my store and ordered a cappuccino and called me "buddy"!
What is on your bucket list?
Backpack South East Asia, write a cookbook and adopt a dog!
Sarah Elizabeth Melendez at Castillo San Felipe del Morro.
Why did you decide to become an attorney?
I competed in moot court competitions in undergrad and I had played around with continuing into law school. I was debating whether to sign up for the GRE or the LSAT for months and it was driving me crazy. I was ultimately convinced to sign up for the LSAT after I flipped a coin in front of my friends. There was no going back.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
I'm an early riser, so I'm usually working from home starting at 7:00 am or in my office at 8:00 am. I'm already taking client calls, so I might have three to four calls from clients a day. I typically coordinate a few projects each day.
Why did you choose your areas of practice?
HOA and Condo Law is this fun/weird combination of transaction and litigation, which I'm really enjoying. I get to help real people every day with their problems and offer up my opinions on how to fix them.
What do you like most about Tressler?
I like that Tressler is professional without being stuffy. Being fresh out of the bar exam, I knew it would be important for me to join a firm where I felt comfortable asking questions while learning, and I get that at Tressler.
Sarah Elizabeth Melendez graduating from Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Law.
What are you most proud of, professionally and/or personally?
So far, I am most proud of passing the bar exam on my first try. It was really strange studying for a remote bar exam in the middle of a global pandemic. I'm glad I made it through!
Do you have any fun hobbies?
As a hobby, I started a food Instagram when I moved to Chicago. I use it to document everywhere I recommend eating and to show the recipes my boyfriend and I cook together. I love to cook, bake, take photographs and go restaurant hopping. It just seemed like a natural hobby to try out. With the food Instagram, it has been so much fun to meet other food-obsessed people and to try out new and exciting restaurants. An ideal weekend will always include working my way through a cookbook and hitting up a brunch reservation with friends.
Sarah Elizabeth Melendez can be reached at smelendez@tresslerllp.com. Learn more about our attorneys by visiting www.tresslerllp.com/attorneys.
