Ready to listen. Ready to work together.

Melody Swilling

Founding Partner & Family Attorney

Melody has years of experience in family law assisting countless area families with skillful legal representation, but it’s helping those with unique family needs that brings out her true passion. Her successes helping diverse families of all makeups is extensive, including those seeking complex adoptions, same-sex couples facing real obstacles under Georgia law, clients needing high asset divorce litigation and those going through the appeals process through the Georgia Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of Georgia. Melody’s practical and empathetic guidance helps families navigate the complex divorce and custody process, and her extensive exposure in the North Metro Atlanta counties gives her clients an advantage in many different types of family law cases.

After practicing in bankruptcy for two years at a mid-sized law firm in Atlanta, Melody wanted to concentrate on helping families in litigation and expanded her practice to family law in 2010. Shortly thereafter, Melody joined a mid-sized law firm concentrating in family law litigation in 2013 and moved her practice – Swilling Family Law – to Alpharetta in 2020 to concentrate on more complex family law litigation.

As a mother of two young boys, Melody understands the strains of children and their special needs. When she is not training for her next marathon or cheering her sons on the baseball diamond, you can find Melody actively volunteering with iCanShine to give children with special needs, especially autism, the independence and skill set to ride a bike.

Education

Florida Coastal School of Law, Jacksonville, Florida
- Juris Doctor – 2008
University of Georgia
- Bachelor of Arts in Spanish – 2005

Bar Admission

Georgia
Georgia Court of Appeals
Supreme Court of Georgia
U.S. District Court Northern District of Georgia

Professional Associations

Cobb County Bar Association, Family Law Section, Secretary
Forsyth County Bar Association
Gwinnett County Bar Association
Atlanta Bar Association, Editorial Board
Amicable Divorce Network, Member
Certified Amicable Divorce Professional with a specialty in Special Needs Children
Parent Coordinator

Published Works and Presentations

Find Good Trouble this November: Reflections on John Lewis and the Voting Rights Act, The Atlanta Lawyer, Aug/Sept, 2020
My Income Got COVID – How Child Support and Income are Affected in a Pandemic, DivorceTown
CLE Presenter at OTPCLE September CLE on Equitable Caregiver Statute
CLE Presenter at OTPCLE Family Law Foundations on Common Financial/investment accounts

Volunteer Activities

iCan Shine – iCan Bike Program

Honors

Georgia Trend’s Legal Elite in Family Law, 2018, 2022
Best of North Atlanta – Runner Up, Appen Media Group, 2020
Swilling Family Law won Best of North Atlanta 2021, 2022
Melody was a Rising Stars for Super Lawyers in 2021, 2022

Melody Swilling

Melody has years of experience in family law assisting countless area families with skillful legal representation, but it’s helping those with unique family needs that brings out her true passion. Her successes helping diverse families of all makeups is extensive, including those seeking complex adoptions, same-sex couples facing real obstacles under Georgia law, clients needing high asset divorce litigation and those going through the appeals process through the Georgia Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of Georgia. Melody’s practical and empathetic guidance helps families navigate the complex divorce and custody process, and her extensive exposure in the North Metro Atlanta counties gives her clients an advantage in many different types of family law cases.

After practicing in bankruptcy for two years at a mid-sized law firm in Atlanta, Melody wanted to concentrate on helping families in litigation and expanded her practice to family law in 2010. Shortly thereafter, Melody joined a mid-sized law firm concentrating in family law litigation in 2013 and moved her practice – Swilling Family Law – to Alpharetta in 2019 to concentrate on more complex family law litigation.

As a mother of two young boys, Melody understands the strains of children and their special needs. When she is not training for her next marathon or cheering her sons on the baseball diamond, you can find Melody actively volunteering with iCanShine to give children with special needs, especially autism, the independence and skill set to ride a bike.