Melissa was born and raised in Upington and matriculated at High School Upington in 2004. She then attended the University of the Free State and completed her LL.B degree in 2009 and her Masters degree (LL.M) with Estate Planning with subject matter in 2011. Melissa also attended the School for Legal Practice of the Free State province in 2010 and joined Lange, Carr & Wessels Incorporated in 2012 as an article clerk. Melissa completed her articles at the firm in 2013 and was admitted as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa in Kimberley on 22 March 2013.Melissa was appointed as a Professional Assistant at Lange, Carr & Wessels Incorporated on 1 April 2013.Melissa provides a full spectrum of legal services to clients, as is the right of every small-town attorney, but is particularly involved with criminal work, debt collection, divorce law, civil litigation, deceased estate administration as well as the drafting of wills and commercial contracts.