Melissa practices in the firm’s General Liability Litigation Group. She is an experienced litigator who has represented clients through all phases of litigation. Melissa has taken numerous depositions and handled a number of hearings and arbitrations, obtaining favorable judgments for clients. Her experience includes product liability litigation, mass tort and toxic tort litigation, and personal injury defense litigation, including premises and Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA) matters.
Melissa graduated cum laude from Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, where she was managing editor of research and writing of the Villanova Law Review, after earning a bachelor’s degree in crime, law and justice from The Pennsylvania State University. Upon graduation, she served as a law clerk for the Honorable Mary Gibbons Whipple in the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey.
Melissa is active in her local legal community. She serves on the Board of Governors for the Philadelphia Bar Association, and she is a certified arbitrator for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas’ Compulsory Arbitration Program.
Presentations
Technological Trends in Litigation: What to Know and How to Navigate Modern Practice, CSX Risk Management Conference, October 19, 2023.
Improving Our Clerkship System, Philadelphia Bar Association and the Legal Accountability Project, Philadelphia, April 4, 2023.
Artfully Looking at Charitable Trusts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, CLE, May 23, 2019.
Publications
A Place to Build Relationships, Philadelphia Bar Reporter, page 10, November 2023.
Pro Bono Work Great Opportunity for Lawyers to Develop Their Skills, The Philadelphia Bar Reporter, October 18, 2023.
It’s Time to Acknowledge Student Loan Repayments, The Philadelphia Bar Reporter, September 14, 2023.
Advice from Experienced Attorneys for New Attorneys, The Philadelphia Bar Reporter, August 8, 2023.
YLD Diversity Reception, The Philadelphia Bar Reporter, July 24, 2023.
A Successful Law Week 2023, Thanks to Stellar Volunteers, The Philadelphia Bar Reporter, June 23, 2023.
Advice for Law School Students, The Philadelphia Bar Reporter, May 5, 2023.
Law Week is Just Around the Corner, The Philadelphia Bar Reporter, April 12, 2023.
New Lawyers: Seek Out Opportunities, The Philadelphia Bar Reporter, March 6, 2023.
Give Back to the Community Through the YLD, The Philadelphia Bar Reporter, February 6, 2023.
New Year Ushers in Exciting Plans for YLD, The Philadelphia Bar Reporter, January 24, 2023.
Enforcing Surrogacy Agreements in the Courts: Pushing for an Intent-Based Standard, Villanova Law Review, 63, 2018.
Note, What to Expect When Someone is Expecting for You: New Jersey Needs to Protect Parties to Gestational Surrogacy Agreements Following In Re T.J.S., Villanova Law Review, 60, 2015.
Media Coverage
Attorneys Say It's Gotten Harder for Young Lawyers to Get Court Experience, The Legal Intelligencer, February 16, 2023.
Philly Bar Association Will Offer Philly Area Residents Free Legal Advice, WHYY, April 12, 2022.