Attorney Melanie Huffines is a North Carolina native who defends individuals and corporations facing disputes related to maritime personal injury, negligence, and claims under the Jones Act, general maritime law, salvage, and Longshore and Harbor Worker’s Compensation Act. She has significant experience advising clients on information privacy, federal and state regulatory compliance, contract disputes, limitation of liability, alternative dispute resolution, and maritime first-party insurance coverage issues including bad faith and unfair and deceptive trade practices.

Before joining Farrell Smith O’Connell Aarsheim Aprans, Attorney Huffines worked as an associate at a distinguished North Carolina defense firm where she cultivated wide-ranging experience and knowledge of maritime issues. While in law school, she clerked with the North Carolina Court of Appeals and Toshiba, was a member of Campbell Law’s National Moot Court Team, an editor on the Campbell Law Review, received two awards in the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, was inducted into the Order of Old Kivett, and graduated magna cum laude.

Attorney Huffines also serves as the Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Charlotte International Arbitration Society.