A native Floridian, Ms. Archer grew up in Fort Myers, Florida, where she attended Lehigh Elementary School, Cypress Lake Middle School and Cypress Lake High School.  She spent the majority of her youth as a resident of Fort Myers Beach, Florida.  Upon graduation from high school, Ms. Archer moved to Gainesville, Florida, where she received her undergraduate degree in English from the University of Florida.  She received her law degree from Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida.  While in law school, she clerked for Quintairos, McCumber, Prieto & Wood, where she assisted in drafting portions of proposed legislation for Senate Bill 1202, which became the new nursing home resident's rights statute, a regulation designed by Florida's legislature to ensure that the elderly are protected and treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.  Upon graduation from law school, Ms. Archer became an associate attorney at McCumber Inclan, where her primary area of practice was nursing home litigation.  She then went on to work at Callahan Martinez, where her focus was in automobile accident, nursing home, medical malpractice, pharmacy, personal injury, insurance defense, and bad faith litigation.  Following her tenure with Callahan Martinez, she became an associate at Bales Weinstein, where her primary areas of practice were nursing home, medical malpractice, consumer law, property and personal injury litigation.   Following her tenure with John Bales, Ms. Archer continued to practice law for several years for a large Philadelphia-based firm, where she handled cases in several other practice areas including criminal defense, personal injury, consumer law, medical malpractice, nursing home, breach of contract, real property and general liability cases.    She then founded Archer Law Firm, P.A., where she continues to serve her clients in several practice areas.

Ms. Archer has been practicing law in Florida for her entire legal career and is dedicated to its residents.  Ms. Archer has had experience in taking a variety of cases to arbitration and trial, as both counsel for the plaintiff and defendant.  Ms. Archer is also a certified circuit court mediator, providing mediation services for a broad spectrum of cases including construction defect, personal injury, nursing home, medical malpractice, automobile accident, wrongful death, slip and fall, premises liability, insurance bad faith, property damage, sinkhole and other property cases.  

Melissa is a proud member of the University of Florida Alumni Association, Tampa Gator Club and Fort Myers Gator Club.  She is also a member of the St. Petersburg Bar Association, Hillsborough County Bar Association, Lee County Bar Association, Lee County Business Women Association, Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce, and Tampa Chamber of Commerce.  She is admitted to the Florida Bar, is authorized to practice law in all of Florida's state courts and is admitted to practice law in the Federal Court of the Middle District of Florida.