BUSINESSES OF THE SPACE COAST SPONSORED CONTENT COASTAL LEGAL TEAM
MELISSA PEAT AND MARGARET K. WAGNER
Legal matters are serious issues that require attention to detail and
a legal professional trained in the specific field needed. Coastal
Legal Team can be that advocate and ensure you and your interests
are represented properly in accordance with the law. Coastal Legal
Team offers skilled advocacy and sound judgment when representing
clients in criminal and family legal matters. The entire team is
committed to advocating for the clients’ best interests without
intensifying stress levels.
Founder, Melissa Peat, is from Brevard County, Florida. She graduated
from Melbourne High School and then attended Stetson University,
where she was a scholar soccer athlete. While at Stetson, Peat
majored in business administration with a minor in German and
played varsity soccer. She maintained a scholar athlete GPA, studied
abroad in Nottingham, England, and completed her studies with
honors prior to graduation.
Peat then pursued her ambition to the Florida State University
College of Law where she obtained her law degree in 2001 with two
academic awards in International Law. She passed the Florida Bar
exam in 2001 and then completed an internship with the Florida
House of Representatives, while undertaking her master’s degree
in International Affairs at Florida State University.
Peat completed her master’s degree in England in 2002, qualified
as a solicitor in England and Wales in 2004 and began practicing in
that capacity in England and Wales where she worked for prestigious
British firms in London and she remains a consultant senior Solicitor.
Peat has twice been invited to lecture on comparative law with the
Florida State University campus in London.
In 2010, Peat returned to Florida to pursue her goal of assisting the
local community in their legal needs. Peat has worked at the State
Attorney’s Office and with a local law firm to refine her skills, and
then happily founded Coastal Legal Team to further assist those in
her community.
Also a life long resident of Brevard County, Coastal Legal Team
partner, Margaret McKinley Wagner’s, family has been in Brevard
County since 1955. Wagner graduated from Melbourne High School
in 1997 and continued her education at Florida State University.
While there she majored in Psychology with a focus in Forensic
Psychology and minored in Criminology. Wagner graduated with an
honors in Psychology from FSU in 2001 and immediately enrolled
in Stetson University College of Law in St. Petersburg, FL.
After graduating from law school in 2004, Wagner returned to Brevard
County and began her career as an Assistant Public Defender in
Indian River County. Wagner began in the misdemeanor and juvenile
division but quickly moved up to the felony division after only five
months. There she began trying serious felony cases such as Capital
Sexual Battery, Aggravated Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer,
serious drug cases, and other assorted felonies. After about a year in
Indian River County, Wagner joined the Public Defender’s Office in
321-775-3694 Facsimile: 321-421-7549 www.CoastalLegalTeam.com
1819 Riverview Drive, Suite 101, Melbourne, FL 32901
34: SPACE COAST LIVING | SPACECOASTLIVING.COM
STEVEN R. HICKS
Brevard where she continued to focus on serious felony cases including
murder cases, capital sexual battery, trafficking in illegal substances, gun
crimes, and a whole range of other serious felony cases.
Wagner transitioned into private practice in 2012 where things haven’t
slowed down much. She continues to handle serious felony cases,
misdemeanors, and injunctions and has tried dozens of criminal cases
to a jury and has handled thousands upon thousands of cases during
her career. Wagner recently joined the Coastal Legal Team family in
September 2021 and says that even though she stays busy, she finds that
in private practice she can have fewer clients and devote more of her
time and attention to each of them. “I find that private practice allows
me to create a more effective and meaningful relationship with those I
represent, and Coastal Legal Team provides a very holistic approach to
the legal issues that affect our clients. I’m very excited about what the
future holds for me, Coastal Legal Team, and the clients we are able to
help with all aspects of their lives.”
People make the business, and it could not be more true at Coastal Legal
Team. Peat has hand-picked the team she works with, and the success
of the firm reflects her sound judgment. If you need legal help or are
looking for a lawyer in Melbourne, Florida, welcome, you found your law
firm. Coastal Legal is in downtown Melbourne but the firm represents
individuals in multiple counties around the state, handling thousands
of criminal cases and has represented many individuals in numerous
jury trials. The team’s goal is to be certain that their clients’ rights are
protected and that they receive the most zealous representation possible.
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