Melanie Griswold brings a wide breadth of experience as a real estate broker, real estate developer, litigator, and land use consultant.

Since graduating Harvard Law School in 2004, Ms. Griswold has practiced law at the highest level, including at one of the nation’s top firms. Ms. Griswold has obtained favorable verdicts in dozens of jury trials and has successfully defended and prosecuted her clients’ interests in various state and federal actions. Ms. Griswold legal practice now focuses on using state housing laws to solve difficult development challenges. As an owner, development consultant, and in-house counsel, she has entitled thousands of residential units, mixed use, and commercial developments, and led complex public-private development projects. Ms. Griswold also has significant general real estate litigation and transactional experience and, from 2020 through 2023, ran an independent brokerage with over $300M in sales.

 Ms. Griswold is actively involved in the community and believes strongly in giving back. Ms. Griswold has been a guest teacher for trial techniques at Stanford Law School and, for many years, coached a local high school mock trial team.  In 2019, she was elected Vice Chair for the San Jose Planning Commission. Ms. Griswold has also chaired the Law-Related Education Committee for the Santa Clara County (SCC) Bar Association and the Government Affairs Section for the SCC Association of Realtors. Ms. Griswold commitment to the law and community earned her the SCC Bar Association’s Bryl Salsman Award in 2019. In her free time, Ms. Griswold can be found with her twin boys Dean and Demetri, and her daughter Rosie.

Ms. Griswold is a partner at HSW.