Mellissa Sager
Member Spotlight
August 2026
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Mellissa Sager serves as an assistant county attorney for Adams County, where she advises county leadership and departments on a wide range of local government matters, with a focus on public health, civil rights, employment, and contract law. She is the immediate past chair of the CBA Health Law Section.
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Law School: University of Maryland School of Law
Lives in: Littleton, Colorado
Works at: Adams County Attorney’s Office
Practice Areas: Government, public health, employment
Pronouns: She/her
Why did you become a lawyer?
I wanted to understand the rules and process well enough to challenge them, and to help open doors for people who didn’t know they were even allowed to knock.
What do you like the most about your practice area?
Government and public health touch almost everything—employment, civil rights, health, compliance, contracts, policy—so no two days are the same. What I love most, though, is that the work is about people. Whether I’m working on an involuntary mental health commitment, an accommodation request, or a contract to support local farmers markets or a back-to-school vaccination event, there are real people behind every decision. I’m grateful to play a small part in helping my clients make a difference in our community.
What’s the biggest challenge in your practice, and how do you manage it?
Giving clear, actionable guidance when the law isn’t clear-cut. I try to be transparent about uncertainty and bring the right people into the conversation early. My goal is to help clients find a path forward, not just identify obstacles. I never want to be just the office of no.
What do you think is the most essential professional skill?
Communication. The law only helps people if they can access and understand it. Whether I’m talking with executives or frontline staff, I try to meet people where they are and make legal advice accessible and practical. Good legal advice is a two-way conversation: I bring the legal expertise and they bring the operational expertise, and the better we communicate, the better the outcome.
What’s the best advice you’ve received?
Don’t let people make you feel like you don’t belong. As a first-generation college student, I had never worn a suit before my first internship and often felt completely out of place. I assumed everyone else had some secret knowledge I was missing. Over time, I learned that even people in positions of power are figuring things out as they go. That realization gave me confidence to take up space, and I try to create that same space for others in my work.
What’s your best advice for new lawyers?
The law is gray. Get comfortable with uncertainty. You don’t have to pretend to know everything. Ask questions. Find mentors who will give you honest feedback, even when it’s hard to hear. Stay curious and open to learning. You’ll be a better lawyer for it.
What skill would you like to master?
Speaking another language.
What’s your favorite way to unwind?
Catching up with my friends, usually on our drives home from work.
What’s your guilty TV pleasure?
Comfort sitcoms—Friends, The Office, Parks and Rec.
Who’s your greatest inspiration and why?
The strong women in my life. My mom, who raised a house full of kids but always made time for the important things. My adopted “second moms,” who supported me at every stage of my life. My law school professor and mentor, who showed me that you can be brilliant without losing your humanity and who helped me see that I belong. And my friends, who are teachers, lawyers, and nurses, all out there making the world a better place. They inspire me to show up and be the best version of myself.
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