About Melissa Eileen
Melissa Eileen Adams is a licensed attorney admitted to practice law in the State of California. She was admitted to the California State Bar in 2005. Her license is currently in active status. Ms. Adams is a partner at Rien, Adams & Cox, LLP, a criminal defense law firm located in Livermore, California. She has been practicing law for over 20 years, serving clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
Ms. Adams earned her Juris Doctor degree from the New England School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts, graduating cum laude in 2005. Prior to law school, she completed her undergraduate education at the State University of New York at Geneseo, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 2002. During her time at New England School of Law, she participated in a study abroad program in Malta and spent a year studying at California Western School of Law in San Diego.
Ms. Adams concentrates her practice in the area of criminal defense. She represents individuals in matters involving driving under the influence (DUI), domestic violence, theft, gun offenses, drug-related crimes, white-collar crime, vehicular homicide, rape, robbery, burglary, and murder. Her practice encompasses all stages of litigation, including initial case evaluation, discovery, mediation, settlement negotiations, and trial proceedings in both state and federal courts.
Throughout her career, Ms. Adams has handled cases in the Superior Court of California for the County of Alameda, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California. She has also appeared before the California Court of Appeal on multiple occasions. Prior to joining Rien, Adams & Cox, LLP in 2008, she worked as an associate at the Law Office of Vikas Bajaj, APC, and The McMillan Law Firm APC, both in San Diego.
Ms. Adams is an active member of the American Bar Association, the California State Bar Association, the Alameda County Bar Association, the Eastern Alameda County Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the California Attorneys For Criminal Justice, and the California Public Defender’s Association. She is also a life member of the California Attorneys For Criminal Justice. Ms. Adams is fluent in English and Spanish, allowing her to serve the diverse communities of the San Francisco Bay Area effectively.
