Melissa Kujda
Associate
Since joining The Law Office of C. Justin Brown, Melissa Kujda has worked on numerous federal and state criminal defense matters, including major felony drug cases, identity theft, white collar crimes, perjury, and a theft case that was purported to be the largest in Baltimore City history. She has handled numerous complex issues in these cases, including Title III wire taps, cellular tower location data, Fourth Amendment suppression issues and post-conviction issues. In one recent case, her on-the-scene investigation led to the outright dismissal of identity theft charges against the client.
Ms. Kujda is admitted to practice in the State of Maryland and in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.
Ms. Kujda graduated from Cornell University, where she was a member of the policy debate team and volunteered as a community reintegration mentor at a maximum-security correctional facility for juveniles.
She then went on to University of Maryland School of Law, where she received numerous honors for her dedication to social justice and public service, including the Dean’s Award, the Leadership in Public Service Award, and Maryland Public Interest Law Project Fellowships.
During her time at Maryland Law School, Ms. Kujda represented clients charged with federal misdemeanors through Maryland’s Criminal Defense Clinic, part of one of the highest-ranking clinical law programs in the nation. While spending a semester in Cape Town, South Africa, she assisted in apartheid victims’ rights advocacy at the International Center for Transitional Justice, a prominent international human rights NGO. She also held numerous internships with legal organizations such as the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Maryland, and a private Baltimore law firm concentrating in criminal defense, as well as judicial internships on the Circuit Court for Baltimore City and the Maryland Court of Special Appeals.