Melissa Needle - Westport, CT
Attorney at Needle | Cuda
Family Law and Matrimonial Law Lawyers in Westport, CT
830 Post Road East Suite 301 Westport, CT 06880
- 1 Super Lawyers®
-
36
Years
Experience
Westport Family Law and Matrimonial Law Lawyer
Updated: 05/28/2026
Areas of Practice
- Family Law and Matrimonial Law
Litigation: 75%
Attorney Information
Overview
Attorney Melissa Needle is a lifetime Connecticut resident. She was born in New Haven, raised in Fairfield, and now resides in Westport with her family. Attorney Needle is a third-generation attorney with deep family roots in Connecticut. Her father, Attorney Charles Needle, was a founder of the Connecticut firm Zeldes, Needle & Cooper in 1971. Since her admission to the Connecticut Bar in 1990, Melissa has exclusively practiced divorce and family law. Melissa started Needle | Cuda: Divorce and Family Law in 2010. The American Institute of Family Law Attorneys named Needle | Cuda a Connecticut Top 10 Best Firm in Client Satisfaction in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Attorney Needle is an active litigator with an impressive track record. Many of the cases in which Melissa appears involve high net worth divorce property division, complex business valuations, highly contested custody, and petitions for child relocation. She is well-known in Connecticut courts as a forceful, but fair fighter; an attorney with great integrity; and as a worthy adversary who does not shy away from litigation if that path is the best opportunity for her client to reach an equitable solution. Melissa understands that divorce is not just about the dissolution of marriage or stop-gap solutions but helping clients develop and negotiate a comprehensive plan for the rest of their lives.
Awards and Honors
Awards
Honors
- Outstanding Client Satisfaction and Service, Top 10 Family Law Attorney, Family Law and Practice Magazine, 2020
- American Institute of Family Law Attorneys (AIFLA) – 10 Best – 2-Years 2019-2020
- Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell, 2018
- AVVO Clients’ Choice Award, 2018
- AVVO Top Attorney, 2018
- Super Lawyer’s Honoree, 2019 & 2020
- National Academy of Family Law Attorneys – Top 10 Attorney, 2019, 2020
Other Sources of Feedback About Melissa Needle
Included on the 2026 Connecticut Super Lawyers list
Past Lists
- 2025 Connecticut Super Lawyers list
- 2024 Connecticut Super Lawyers list
- 2023 Connecticut Super Lawyers list
- 2022 Connecticut Super Lawyers list
- 2021 Connecticut Super Lawyers list
- 2020 Connecticut Super Lawyers list
- 2019 Connecticut Super Lawyers list
Education
-
Legal Education
-
Whittier College School of Law,
Los Angeles,
California, 1990
J.D.
-
Whittier College School of Law,
Los Angeles,
California, 1990
-
Non Legal Education
-
Tufts University,
Medford,
Massachusetts, 1987
B.A.
-
Tufts University,
Medford,
Massachusetts, 1987
Current Employment Position(s)
-
Attorney, Managing Partner
Past Positions
- Rutkin, Oldham & Needle, Partner, 2004 - 2013
- Schoonmaker & George, Associate, 1997 - 2000
Languages
-
English (Primary)
Classes and Seminars
- Speaker, Annual Meeting, Connecticut Bar Association, 2010
Published Works
Articles
-
Connecticut Family Lawyer, Editorial Board, Former Member
Bar Admissions
- Connecticut, 1990
- New York, 1991
Other Affiliations
- American Academy for Certified Financial Litigator
- Connecticut Superior Court (Special Master)
- Connecticut Bar Association, Family Law Section
- American Bar Association
- Fairfield County Bar Association
- Greater Bridgeport Bar Association, Family Law Section
- Connecticut Family Lawyer, Editorial Board, Former Member
Photo
Contact
830 Post Road East
Suite 301
Westport, CT 06880
Phone: 475-666-5547
Fax: 203-557-9504
Email: Send a message
Website: https://www.needlecuda.com/
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