Melody A. Mackenzie
Melody A. Mackenzie has practiced almost exclusively in the areas of domestic relations and child custody since she graduated from Albany Law School with honors in 1997. Prior to entering law school Ms. Mackenzie received a BS degree with honors from Skidmore College in 1979. In addition, she has held a number of positions including Vice President of Alec Mackenzie and Associates and President of Time Tactics, a time management consulting firm.
In her current legal practice Ms. Mackenzie handles a wide range of complex domestic relations matters involving litigation, negotiation, and mediation. Ms. Mackenzie has also been lead counsel in a number of hotly contested child custody cases. Most recently, she has expanded her practice to include collaborative divorce. While collaborative divorce is not an option in all cases, Ms. Mackenzie is pleased to offer this non-adversarial divorce option for her clients.
In her recent legal practice Ms. Mackenzie has been legal trial counsel in cases throughout the Capital District in Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Saratoga, Greene, Schoharie, Washington, Warren, and Columbia counties. In addition, she has been lead appellate counsel in a number of matters considered by the third department, which hears appeals from trial courts in northeastern New York State.
Ms. Mackenzie has experience as an advocate prior to her legal career; she ran for the New York State Senate in 1992 for the 45th Senate district following her leadership of a citizen's group which had challenged the construction of a garbage incinerator in her community. Ms. Mackenzie was recognized as a "local hero" by Metroland for her public interest advocacy in this matter. Ms. Mackenzie is an avid hiker having completed her climb of New York State's 46 high peaks. She resides on her farm in New York State near the Vermont border with her husband, Philip Gitlen, with her dogs, Japer and Jerry, and an ever evolving cast of farm animals.