Melissa is a strategic thinker, focused on meeting client goals throughout the litigation process. She focuses her practice on complex commercial disputes, often involving technology, privacy and intellectual property issues. Her practice is diverse, including cases in state and federal court, at trial and on appeal.
Before joining Reeves & Brightwell, Melissa served more than a decade in state government, as Assistant Attorney General and Special Litigation Counsel for the State of Texas, during which she led high-stakes civil litigation on behalf of state agencies and state officials. Melissa’s background also includes academic appointments as a clinical lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School and the University of Texas School of Law, where she trained students in trial work and appellate advocacy.
Early in her career, she clerked for the Hon. Emilio M. Garza of U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and practiced at prominent litigation boutiques in New York and Austin.
She is licensed in Texas and New York.
Representative Matters
- Represented consumers and businesses in complex antitrust disputes involving payment card markets and pharmaceutical products
- Defended a state university from copyright infringement and takings claims; the Fifth Circuit affirmed dismissal
- Defended a university professor from allegations of securities fraud; trial court’s denial of motion to dismiss was reversed by the Court of Appeals in Houston, Texas
- Defended a state university from a public information act suit alleging failure to provide the media with lists of students disciplined by the University; the Texas Supreme Court found that the University had acted lawfully in refusing the request
- Represented a prominent human rights advocate in appeal to the Fifth Circuit challenging dismissal of a case against an international jet operator for lack of personal jurisdiction; case was reinstated and remanded
- Advised a global technology company on privacy and data protection issues
Admissions
- Texas
- New York
- U.S. Courts of Appeals (2nd, 5th, 7th, 9th)
- All federal district courts in Texas; S.D.N.Y., N.D. Ill.
