Michelle graduated in 1993 from Bryant and Stratton Business College and has over 30 years experience in executive and legal assistant roles, including office management.

Michelle was introduced to the legal environment while working for a large law firm in Rochester, New York as a floater where she was able to gain experience in various law specialties.  Although she was offered a position in Real Estate, Michelle felt her calling was in Trusts and Estates and when a permanent position became available, she applied for it and spent the next 13 years of her career assisting multiple partners, associates and paralegals in estate planning, estate administration and long-term care planning.  Michelle took her assistant role to another level by learning how to draft estate plans as well as learning the various court forms, documents and procedures required as part of the estate administration process.

Michelle’s husband’s work brought them to Georgia in 2023, and she continued to work remotely for the Rochester, NY firm for three years until the firm restructured and was no longer supporting remote roles.  Michelle became part of the Hughes & Associates family in 2026 as a paralegal and feels blessed to be able to continue her passion for helping others during the difficult time of losing a loved one and strives to treat everyone with compassion during the estate administration process.

Michelle lives in Hoschton with her husband and her furry felines and is enjoying the next phase of her life as a grandmother and empty nester.   Michelle’s blended family consists of four young adult daughters.  Three of their daughters still live in the Rochester, New York area and one has joined them in Georgia after graduating from Texas Tech.