 A native of Los Angeles, California, Lomax graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.In the early 1960s, her mother took her to visit the segregated South, an experience which had a lasting effect on Melanie, who decided to focus on civil rights instead of following her father into criminal law.In 1975, she started working for the Los Angeles County Counsel's office, defending county agencies in labor and civil matters.