CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Melinda Morris Zanoni, an attorney on the go who predicted the future explosive growth in Charlotte and jumped on it, is building a booming business. She’s now rubbing elbows with, and representing folks, who have star power.

Zanoni is the founder and managing member of Midtown Charlotte’s Apollo Sports and Entertainment Law Group. In her office, the TVs are always on.

“We have to know what’s going on. At any minute, a client can call us and say, 'Did you see that play?' or 'What’d you think of this?'” Zanoni said.

Zanoni and her team don’t just have athletes and sports teams, like the Charlotte Checkers as clients, they do legal work for entertainers, including the estate of the late Mexican superstar singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel.

“They're one of our favorites, and we just closed a $20 million deal for them,” Zanoni said.

Her firm also does estate work for the late Hollywood icon and North Carolina-native actress Ava Gardner.

Zanoni is a native of Illinois. She went to law school and worked for big law firms before moving to Charlotte 22 years ago, making the jump to start her own firm 14 years ago.

“I’ve always lived my life by, ‘why not me,’” she said.

Superlawyers.com selected her as a top-rated sports and entertainment attorney, and she says her specialty isn't always as glamorous as it might appear to be.

“If you litigate, the courts close. If you do another area of practice, you can go home. Your deals are activating on the weekends, the teams are playing on the weekends, so there’s never any off time,” Zanoni said.

She has an area for a bar in her office, where she and her team will celebrate after a successful day.

“We like to unwind after a long day, so this is where the team meets, and we all interact, so it’s fun,” Zanoni said.

Not every part of her day is fun. Exercise is her needed stress reliever.

Melinda says working out at Hilliard Studio Method with owner and trainer Liz Hilliard and her team is her competitive advantage.

“Exercise and fitness makes me a better lawyer. I can’t take care of my clients if I can’t take care of myself,” Zanoni said.

Melinda’s three children include Elle, a UCLA student who might be headed to law school, Michael, who’s committed to play basketball for Mercer University in Georgia, and Gavin, the youngest, who’s a student at Providence Day School. Zanoni and her commercial real estate developer husband, Jim, met in law school.

The family is bicoastal, spending part of the year at their beach home in Malibu, California.

As an entertainment lawyer, Zanoni believes being on the West Coast part time helps with closing deals.

“You have to understand how everything works, be connected, work with the studios, work with the networks,” she said.

And even though business is a big part of her life, it’s family first, always.

“My family is the most important. You work, so you can enjoy your life with your family. I just happen to love what I do as well, right, how lucky am I. I get up in the morning, I cannot wait to go to work. There’s not a lot of people that can say that. I love what I do and I feel so fortunate for that.”

Even though she spends time on the West Coast, Zanoni is really glad she moved to Charlotte 22 years ago.

She says her family loves the Queen City.

Zanoni's best advice to folks who are climbing the ladder of business success: “Be selective. The harder you work, the luckier you will get. Chance favors the prepared.”