Partridge Snow & Hahn (PS&H) is proud to announce that following Tuesday’s vote by the Rhode Island State Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and yesterday’s full Senate vote, PS&H Partner, Melissa Darigan, has been appointed to fill a vacancy on the Rhode Island Superior Court. Though a date has not yet been set, she is expected to be sworn in within the next few weeks.
Darigan’s departure from PS&H will be bittersweet as she has spent her entire career at the firm. Darigan joined the firm as an associate twenty-six years ago, and was elevated to Partner in 2000. In 2017, she was elected to serve on the firm’s Executive Committee. Her seat on the Executive Committee will be filled by her colleagues, Partners Jay Peabody and Paul Kessimian.
“When such a life-changing opportunity is presented to you, there is only one decision to make,” said PS&H Managing Partner Howard Merten. “While it’s emotional for all of us to bid farewell to our partner Melissa, we do so knowing she will bring formidable judicial insight and fairness to every case she adjudicates. We are incredibly proud of her and her history of public service and look forward to watching her achieve great success in her judicial career.”
Darigan specialized in business litigation during her career with PS&H, but she was lauded by numerous members of the Senate Judiciary Committee for her pro bono work and tireless dedication to her community. She has also spent considerable time serving the Rhode Island legal community, most recently as President of the Rhode Island Bar Association from 2015 to 2016.
Throughout her career, Darigan has received numerous well-deserved awards and recognitions. She is ranked as a leading attorney in commercial litigation in the prestigious legal directory Chambers USA, America for 2018, and was honored by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly as a 2016 Top Women of Law. Darigan has been recognized by Best Lawyers’ in 2015, 2017, and 2018, and was named Providence Litigation—Banking and Finance Lawyer of the Year in 2016 and 2019. Early in her career, she was named by Providence Business News as a 40 Under Forty Honoree in 2005. Darigan has garnered an AV® Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest possible rating on both legal ability and ethics, based on the confidential opinion of peers and judges.
Darigan earned her J.D. from Catholic University of America, and received her B.A. from George Washington University.
