Melanie Iverson Kaufman was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. After graduating from East Anchorage High School (go T-Birds!) she interned in the office of the late Senator Ted Stevens in Washington, D.C. That internship cemented Melanie’s passion for government and public service, leading to her bachelor’s degree in political science from the New College of Florida in Sarasota. Along the way she enjoyed a semester abroad at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia.

After a detour dancing with an Oregon ballet company, Melanie discovered her passion for the law. She obtained her law degree from the Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon. During law school, Melanie was an Executive Editor of the Willamette Law Review and she focused her studies on estate planning and related topics. She also clerked in Portland for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Oregon.

Melanie brings to Foley & Pearson her enthusiasm and experience in estate planning, probate, and trust administration. She is a member of the Anchorage Estate Planning Council, and has spoken on estate planning and administration for several organizations including the National Business Institute, the Anchorage Library Foundation, and Stone Soup Group.

Melanie loves to be active and stays busy with her husband and two children. In the summer they hike, in the winter they ski, and in the shoulder season they start to feel impatient for better weather. In any season, Melanie can often be found in a dance class continuing her lifelong practice of ballet.