Consultant
Melissa Merry is a Consultant in our Wills and Probate department, with over 30 years of experience in private client work. Melissa is based at our Derby city centre branch.
Melissa studied law at the University of Warwick, before going on to complete the academic part of solicitors’ training at the College of Law in Chester. She qualified as a solicitor in 1989 and for the entirety of her professional working life has specialised in private client work.
After qualification, Melissa worked for firms in Derbyshire and Staffordshire and built up a strong client base in the East Midlands. Whilst working for a local firm, Melissa contributed as a consultant with London firm Stitt & Co., where she was made partner in 2009. During this time Melissa, worked for part of the week in London and part of the week from her home in Derbyshire. This arrangement enabled her to retain her East Midlands links and client base whilst developing new work in London. Melissa stayed on as a partner when Stitt & Co. merged with Wedlake Bell. Whilst Melissa retains many of her clients and professional contacts in the city of London, she decided to return to work in the East Midlands and took up a consultancy role with Rothera Bray in April 2020.
Melissa’s work comes solely from recommendations by existing clients and professional contacts. She has a caseload comprising inheritance tax planning, will drafting, powers of attorney and probate work, but her particular sphere of interest is trust formation and administration.
Melissa is a fully accredited member of STEP.
31 years
31 years
The legal profession is evolving, and so are the routes to qualification. With the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), aspiring solicitors now have more flexible, inclusive, and practical pathways to enter the profession.
Employment Law is full of misconceptions that can trip up even the most conscientious employers and employees.
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Ruth Ball as Managing Associate and Head of Insolvency of our expanding Insolvency and Restructuring team.
Every year, thousands of families experience the heartbreak of losing a baby during pregnancy, birth, or shortly after. Baby Loss Awareness Week, held from 9–15 October 2025, is a time to honour those tiny lives lost too soon, to support grieving families, and to raise awareness of the impact baby loss has on individuals and communities.