Melanie Sterba

Attorney Melanie M. Sterba earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Michigan State University in 1975. She received her Juris Doctor Degree from Valparaiso University School of Law in May, 1983 and began practicing law June 3, 1983, having passed the Indiana Bar Exam in 1982.

Attorney Sterba opened her own practice in the Twin Towers in Merrillville, Indiana. She relocated to Schererville, Indiana in 1997. In 2007, Attorney Sterba partnered with Jill S. Swope to become the managing partner of Sterba & Swope, LLP.

Attorney Sterba has practiced exclusively in the area of family law for over 30 years.

Attorney Sterba has successfully completed Guardian Ad Litem training and has been appointed by the Courts and stipulated by parents to serve as a Guardian Ad Litem representing the interest of children in disputes between parents over custody and parenting time.

Attorney Sterba attended multi-day training offered through the Association of Family and Conciliatory Courts (AFCC), preparing her to serve as a Parenting Time Coordinator, working directly with parents and children to resolve conflicts within the family and assisting the family outside a courtroom atmosphere.

Attorney Sterba enrolled in and completed the first mediation training offered in Lake County in March, 1992. She is a registered family law mediator and continues to take advance training in this area.

Attorney Sterba is a member of the Indiana State Bar Association and the Lake County Bar Association, serving on the Board of Directors for the Lake County Bar Association from 1989 to 1992. Attorney Sterba served as the Treasurer of the Women Lawyers Association from 1986 through 1988 and continues to be a member of this association. Attorney Sterba is a Fellow with the Indiana Bar Association.

Attorney Sterba, while a member of the Family Law Section of the Lake County Bar Association, was instrumental in developing the Lake County Visitation Guidelines and in the implementation of the Child Support Guidelines. She continues to be a member of the Family Law Section.

Attorney Sterba has been a presenter at continuing legal education seminars in family law.

Qualifications

Bar Admissions

• Indiana, 1982
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana, 1983
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, 1983

Specialties and Certifications

• Certified Domestic
• Relations Mediator
• Parenting Time Coordinator

Other Affiliations

• Lake County Bar Association, 1991 – Present (Treasurer)
• Women Lawyers Association, 1986 – 1988 (Treasurer)
• American Bar Association, 1983 – Present (Member)
• Indiana Bar Association, 1984 – Present (Member)
• Lake County Bar Association (Member)
• Lake County Bar Association, 1989 – 1992 (Board of Directors)
• Women Lawyers Association (Member)
• Lake County Bar Association, Family Law Section (Member)
• Indiana Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliatory Courts (AFCC) (Member)

Education

• Valparaiso University School of Law, Valparaiso, Indiana, 1983
  J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence
• Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 1975
  B.A., Bachelor of Arts
  Honors: cum laude