Melissa Desgrottes

Melissa L. Desgrottes is an Associate Attorney at Spar & Bernstein, P.C. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Desgrottes served as the Senior Supervising Attorney at a fast-paced boutique law firm in New York City, where she defended immigrants in removal proceedings.

She has worked on a wide range of family-based immigration matters, including asylum, waivers, and affirmative applications before USCIS. Before entering the private sector, Ms. Desgrottes represented detained individuals as a Supervising Attorney in the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) at The Bronx Defenders and advocated for immigrant survivors of gender-based violence at Sanctuary for Families.

Ms. Desgrottes’ legal career is rooted in removal defense, with a focus on clients who have had prior contact with the criminal justice system. She received her law degree from Rutgers Law School in 2016 and holds a B.A. from Boston College. She is fluent in French and Haitian Creole.