Melissa Burke

Melissa Burke is a partner at Hathaway & Kunz in Cheyenne who represents businesses, financial institutions, and employers in civil litigation and employment matters. Her litigation work includes contract disputes, ownership and member disputes, fiduciary duty claims, and other complex business cases in state and federal court. Her employment practice includes litigation and counseling on employment agreements, wage-and-hour compliance, internal investigations, employee separations, and other workplace issues.

Melissa earned a J.D. with honors from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 2016 and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Wyoming in 2010. Her education supports a practice centered on business disputes, workplace regulation, written advocacy, and strategic problem solving. She is admitted in Wyoming and Colorado, allowing her to advise and represent clients across a range of regional litigation and employment matters.

Melissa approaches litigation with an emphasis on early case assessment, strategic positioning, and efficient resolution. Before joining Hathaway & Kunz, she clerked for Justice Kate M. Fox of the Wyoming Supreme Court, then practiced at a large regional firm on civil litigation and energy and natural resources matters. Her clerkship experience gives her insight into appellate decision-making and informs how she develops arguments and preserves issues from the beginning of a case.

Melissa Burke helps clients understand exposure, evaluate options, and pursue appropriate resolutions through negotiation, dispositive motions, or full litigation. Her practice covers complex commercial litigation, corporate disputes, employment law and litigation, administrative matters, alternative dispute resolution, and natural resources issues. By combining business-focused counseling with courtroom experience, she helps employers and organizations build defensible practices, respond to disputes efficiently, and manage legal risk with practical judgment.

Law Office Affiliations

• Partner, Hathaway & Kunz LLP
• Member, Wyoming State Bar
• Member, Colorado Bar Association

Licensed State

• Wyoming
• Colorado

Education

• University of Wyoming, College of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• University of Wyoming
  Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science

Awards & Badges