Melanie Straw-Boone

Melanie Straw-Boone is a highly respected family law attorney and partner at Straw-Boone Doheny Banks Mudd Catalano & McKinney, PLLC in Louisville, Kentucky. With over 30 years of legal experience, she focuses on divorce, high-asset property division, custody disputes, parenting coordination, and Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROs).

Melanie earned her Juris Doctor magna cum laude from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1994, following a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University in 1991. She is licensed to practice in Kentucky, Indiana, and multiple federal district courts and has remained an active and impactful member of the legal community since admission.

Melanie is a Fellow and past president of the Kentucky Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), an honor reserved for elite family law practitioners. Her excellence has also been recognized with numerous awards, including the Louisville Bar Association’s Family Practitioner of the Year Award, the Donated Legal Services Award from the Kentucky Bar Association, and the “Raising the Bar” Award from the Kentucky AAML.

Melanie has led within the Louisville Bar Association and the Jefferson County Women Lawyers Association, served on the Ethics Committee, and acted as a Trial Commissioner for the Kentucky Bar Association. As Co-Chair of the Jefferson Family Court Advisory Committee, she played a key role in advancing family law reform and improving family court efficiency in Kentucky.

Melanie Straw-Boone’s reputation for integrity, sharp legal strategy, and client-centered service has earned her consistent inclusion in Super Lawyers, Louisville Magazine’s Top Lawyers, and U.S. News—Best Lawyers. Her blend of professional achievement and community dedication positions her as one of Kentucky’s most trusted family law attorneys. She advocates fiercely for clients while striving for fair, effective outcomes.

Law Office Affiliations

• Partner, Straw-Boone Doheny Banks Mudd Catalano & McKinney, PLLC
• Former Co-Chair, Jefferson Family Court Advisory Committee
• Former Member, Louis D. Brandeis American Inn of Court
• Member & Former Chair, Louisville Bar Association, Family Law Section
• Member & Former Trial Commissioner, Kentucky Bar Association
• Member, U.S. District Court Western District of Kentucky
• Member, Indiana State Bar Association
• Member, U.S. District Court Southern District of Indiana
• Member & Treasurer, Jefferson County Women Lawyers Association
• Member, Jefferson Court Advisory Board
• Fellow, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML)

Licensed State

• Kentucky
• Indiana

Education

• University of Louisville School of Law
  Juris Doctor (J.D.)
• Indiana University, Bloomington
  Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Awards & Badges