2015 Trusted Advisers Up-and-Comer: Melissa Bade

Judson Poppen thinks Melissa Bade’s communication skills are her greatest strength.

“I believe that this ability sets her above most,” says Poppen, partner at Neale & Newman LLP. “Melissa is able to carry on a conversation with almost anyone, no matter how different that person might be from her.”

This serves Bade well as an associate attorney at Neale & Newman, which she joined in 2011. She practices primarily in the areas of dissolutions, child custody disputes, guardianships and adoptions.

“My clients come to me at some of the lowest points in their life,” Bade says. “I take the responsibility to be the one who leads them through whatever legal issue – no matter how simple or complex – they are experiencing. I am the person they trust, because I am always available to offer them current, researched and ethical legal advice.”

She is her clients’ access to the justice system and also a counselor. It requires she be an active listener in order to find a resolution consistent with their goals and limitations. By taking the time to understand her client’s expectations, they are able to reach a solution that leaves the client feeling well-represented.

That devotion made her a stand out when hired to clerk at Neale & Newman before her final year of law school.

“I immediately noticed that Melissa’s attitude was next to none,” Poppen says. “Melissa performed so well that summer during her clerkship that before the summer was over, the partnership had already decided that they needed to offer her a full-time job after graduating.”

Bade continues to exceed expectations by welcoming responsibility, he says, noting she has been the lead attorney on adoptions, divorce cases, paternity cases and guardianship cases.

“In my 10 years of practice, I cannot think of an associate attorney that I have relied more heavily on than Melissa,” Poppen says. “She is always willing to do what it takes in order to assist her clients. Even when cases get difficult and stressful, Melissa finds a way to keep her good attitude.”

Bade is active with several professional organizations, including the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association, where she serves on the Law Day Committee, and she is a member of The Missouri Bar Young Lawyers’ Section and the Southern Missouri Women Lawyers.

Bade’s community involvement includes membership in the Junior League of Springfield for which she recently chaired the Charity Ball, the nonprofit’s largest fundraiser. “Being a member of Junior League and being involved in any project, fundraiser or initiative the league takes on is extremely important to me, because I believe so wholeheartedly in the mission and focus,” Bade says. “The league is dedicated to volunteerism, and its focus is the prevention of child abuse and neglect.

I can’t think of anything more worthy of my time and energy.”