Claire A. Melehani

Claire brings broad experience to her practice, benefitting her clients as well as complimenting and enriching the Gates Eisenhart Dawson team. As a former investment banking analyst for a global investment bank, Claire’s strong finance background aids not just her legal analysis, but also her business-oriented advice for her clients.

During law school, Claire worked at the San Diego District Attorney’s Office in the Family Protection Division, prosecuting crimes of murder, domestic violence, stalking, crimes against children, and elder abuse. Claire has interned for judges, drafting bench memos and opinions for trials and appellate cases. Claire also interned at the Institute for Justice as a Law Clerk and Policy Fellow where she learned to combine cutting-edge litigation, sophisticated media relations, strategic research, and boots-on-the-ground advocacy while fighting for individuals denied their constitutional rights.

As a young attorney, Claire established herself as a formidable advocate, working for a prestigious local family law firm representing high net-worth individuals in contentious disputes. Claire routinely earned the trust and confidence of her clients, many of them Silicon Valley executives and entrepreneurs.

At Gates Eisenhart Dawson, Claire tackles complex and esoteric tasks with dedication and superlative attention to detail. As a valued member of our team, she offers her unique set of skills, talent, intellect, and passion to our clients' cases.

Bar Admissions

• California
• United States District Court for the Northern District of California

Professional Memberships

• Santa Clara County Bar Association 
• San Mateo County Bar Association 
• Monterey County Bar Association

Education

• University of North Carolina School of Law (Chapel Hill), J.D. (2018) 
• Duke University, Certificate in Nonprofit Management (2015) 
• Duke University, B.S. in Economics (2014) 
• Duke University, Certificate in Markets and Management (2014) 

Professional Activities

• Rising International - Claire volunteers for Rising International, a non-profit that assists economically-vulnerable women, both in the U.S. and abroad, who are survivors of extreme poverty, gender-based violence, homelessness, and/or human trafficking. As a mentor, Claire helps train locally-based mentees to become social entrepreneurs, selling products that were handcrafted by Rising’s global entrepreneurs and enabling both groups to rise. 
• The Silicon Valley Organization - Claire regularly attends events with the SVO’s Young Professionals Program, where she networks while helping give back to the community. 
• The Santa Clara Bar Association Barristers - Claire serves as the Vice President of the Barristers, a section of the Bar Association dedicated to helping young attorneys give back to the community, form meaningful connections with Bar Association members, and excel in the profession.