Tonya L. Melnichenko - Aurora, CO

"I know up on top you are seeing great things, but those down here on the bottom, we too should have rights." - Dr. Seuss

As a personal injury lawyer, my job is to handle each claim the same. I have made it a practice not to treat a client with a wrongful death case any different than one with a soft tissue injury case. Both were injured in a car crash and both deserve compensation for their injuries and losses. Every client has a story to tell and I want to hear it.

Growing up in rural update New York, I was the youngest daughter of an immigrant who came to the United States to find a better life for his family back in Venezuela. My dad worked long hours doing manual labor which instilled in me an appreciation of hard work and the value of getting an education. He made work a priority but when he was home, he was present with his family enjoying back yard barbeques, badminton and bike rides. My mom made sure she showed us how to plant a garden and thread a needle. Some skills cannot be found in a book.

I graduated from college and decided to take on law school. I went to Albany Law School and two weeks after I took the bar in New York, I moved to Colorado with my husband. We packed up a U-Haul, with our animals and a little cash to head out west.

As I approach twenty years with the firm, I look back on where it all started. My first love was the law and I fell in love reading about the nuts and bolts of how the justice system began even before I went to law school. Sitting in Supreme Court class in undergrad made me realize that the concept of justice has a different meaning to each person. As a plaintiff's lawyer, I am the voice for my clients. I am their advocate and I take that role very seriously. This is not just a job or a career, it is my life. Years ago, I represented a young girl who was killed in an accident at sixteen; and to this day, that case sticks with me. The case doesn't stick with me because of the graphic and horrible facts, it is that she could have been my daughter. Someone else's negligence can take someone away in just a split second.

I am a wife and mother. I have three kids and take on the role of taxi driver, tutor and entertainer when I am not at work. I enjoy making memories with my family and taking time to make sure my kids become good humans who add to our world.