Biography
Melissa Harvey is a Senior Counsel of Bartko Pavia LLP and a member of the Real Estate Practice. She has over 25 years of experience as a commercial real estate transactions attorney, with a special emphasis on retail leasing.
Melissa is well known among retail leasing attorneys and developers as an effective and efficient lease negotiator with great attention to detail and a knack for solving the most complicated problems in a practical, business-centric straight-forward way. She approaches her deals with an eagle-eye focus on what matters to her retailer clients, guided by her 12 years of experience inhouse at retailers. She knows that building and maintaining strong relationships between the retailer and developer is critical for both parties’ success over the life of the lease.
Prior to joining Bartko Pavia, Melissa served as inhouse counsel at JCPenney and Tailored Brands (formerly Men’s Wearhouse), and represented landlords, tenants, developers and sellers at a national law firm and a regional real estate-focused boutique law firm.
Education
- University of Tulsa College of Law, JD 1995
- University of Texas at Arlington, BA Political Science 1991
Admissions
- State Bar of Texas
- ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers), member
- ICSC Legal Advisory Council, former member
Publications
Melissa has been a frequent speaker at the law conferences of ICSC in 2008, 2013-2015, 2024 and 2025. This year she is presenting a peer-to-peer seminar at the ICSC law conference on Non-Retail Development in a Shopping Center: What Doesn’t Fit in this Picture (or Does It?).
Return to Top