All Florida Circuit and County Courts

All Florida District Courts of Appeal

All Georgia State and Superior Courts

Florida Supreme Court

Georgia Court of Appeals

Supreme Court of Georgia

U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

U.S. District Court Middle District of Georgia

U.S. District Court Northern District of Georgia

U.S. District Court Southern District of Georgia

United States Supreme Court

J.D.
Emory University School of Law

B.A.
Emory University

• https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lattewithalawyer/episodes/Wayne-S–Melnick–Trial-Attorney-at-Freeman-Mathis–Gary–LLP–Season-4-Episode-10-e202kjp/a-a9f4ba7, Interview on EmotionTrac’s “Latte with a Lawyer” podcast
• “A Theory to Revive O.C.G.A. 51-12-1(b) to Allow Juries to Consider Amounts Paid to Medical Providers When Determining Reasonable Medical Expense Damages.”Georgia Defense Lawyers Magazine (2021)

• “Southern District Weighs in on Discoverability of Litigation Funding Agreements under the Federal Rules,” FMG BlogLine, 2020

• “Assumption of the Risk in Georgia – Is “Common Sense” Finally the New Standard?” FMG BlogLine, 2020
• “An Era of Un-Road-Tested Drivers: What Parents and Their Insurers Need to Consider In Light of Georgia’s Changes to the Licensing Process During COVID-19,” FMGBlogLine 2020
• “UPS Orders Tesla Electric Big Rigs – One Step Closer to Driverless Semis,” FMG BlogLine, 2017
• “SCOTUS Affirms FMG Victory In First-Of-Its Kind 11^th Circuit Flash Bang Case,” FMG Blogline, 2017
• “The Militarization of Police and the Status of Qualified Immunity,” DRI, For the Defense, 2017
• “Additional Insured & Contractual Indemnity,” 2017
• “A Double-Edged Sword: The Defense of Trucking Claims After The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Mandate for Electronic Logging Devices,” Georgia Defense Lawyers Association Journal, 2016
• “Firing a School Cannon Provides Potential Liability,” FMG BlogLine, 2016
• “Liability Insurance Specific for Dog Bites?,”FMG BlogLine, 2016
• “FMG Government Practice Section Obtains Summary Judgment in First-Of-Its-Kind Case in Eleventh Circuit Obtaining Qualified Immunity for Officers Accused of Burning a Woman with a Flash Bang Device,” FMG BlogLine, 2015
• “Drones Regulation Deadline Missed by FAA,” FMG BlogLine
• “Sauce for the Goose: Turning Plaintiffs’ Spoliation of Evidence Against Them,” Georgia Defense Lawyers Association Journal, 2013
• “Suppression of Identity: Has the Supreme Court Carved Yet Another Exception to the Exclusionary Rule?” 9 Fla. Defender 24, 1997 [cited in State v. Perkins, 760 So. 2d 85 (Fla. 2000)]

• American Bar Association (ABA)
• • Torts Trial and Insurance Practice Section – Member
• American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
  • Associate Membership Level
• Association of Defense Trial Attorneys (ADTA)
• Atlanta Claims Association (ACA)
• Claims & Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)
  • Municipal Law Committee – Co-Lead Chairperson
• ClaimsXChange
• Defense Research Institute (DRI)
  • Transportation Law Committee – Member
  • Civil Rights and Government Tort Committee – Member
  • Trial Tactics Committee – Member
• Florida Bar Association
• Georgia Defense Lawyers Association (GDLA)
  • Northern District of Georgia Representative to Board of Directors
  • Education Committee – Chairperson
  • Pre-Trial Discovery and Deposition Bootcamp – Chairperson
  • Sponsorship Committee – Chairperson
  • Logo Committee – Member
  • Strategy Planning Committee – Member
• National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association (NRRDA)
• Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS)
• State Bar of Georgia

• The Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers, 2023–2026
• Litigation – Insurance, Best Lawyers in America, 2021–2025
• Georgia Super Lawyers, Super Lawyers, 2013–2026
• Rising Star, Georgia Super Lawyers, 2006, 2009

• “Wheels in Motion: Evaluating Traditional and E-Bike Claims,” 2026
• “Strategies for Effective Resolution Through Trial or Negotiations in the Disproportionate Verdict Era,” 2026
• “The Art of Advocacy: Strategies for the Defense Lawyer and the Importance of Trial Themes,” 2026
• “It’s All About Damages: Avoiding the Reptile/Edge and Forging an Anchor During Discovery,” 2026
• “All You Ever Wanted to Know About Section 1983, Sovereign Immunity, Government Privileges, Open Records Requests, and More,” 2026
• “An Overview and Five Month Retrospective on Tort Reform to the ‘Judicial Hellhole’ We Call Georgia,” 2025
• “More Successful Tactics from Slaying the Reptile to Bringing Jurors Back from ‘The Edge,’” 2025
• “Additional Tested and Effective Tactics for Defusing Potential Nuclear Verdicts and Vanquishing the Reptile,” 2025
• “A Whole New World: How Tort Reform Has Changed Premises Liability Claims in Georgia,” 2025
• “What Claims Handlers Need To Know About Georgia’s New Tort Reform,” (2025)
• “How Georgia’s New Tort Reform Is Expected To Change Claims Handling and Trials,” 2025
• “An Overview of Georgia’s New Tort Reform,” 2025
• “Retrospective Roundtable: Lessons Learned from Recent Trials,” Moderator 2025
• “Perspectives on Professional Conduct: A Panel Discussion with Cobb County Judiciary,” Moderator 2024
• “Lightning Round: Hot Topics in Restaurant and Retail Claims,” 2024
• “Strategies for Responding to Time Limited Demands: What You Need to Know in FL, GA & CA,” 2024
• “Tick Tick Boom: Recent Developments Regarding Time-Limited, Policy-Limit Demands in Georgia,” 2023
• “Successful Tactics from Slaying the Reptile to Bringing Jurors Back from ‘The Edge,’” 2023
• “Best Practices for Claims Handling and Defending Georgia Dram Shop Act cases,” 2023
• “Defending Federal and State Education Law Claims and Cases Based on Allegations of Sexual Assault or Sexual Harassment,” 2023
• “The Latest Developments on Title IX and Section 1983 claims in Education Law,” 2022
• “Defusing Potential Nuclear Verdicts and Vanquishing the Reptile,” 2022
• “A Primer on Common Non-Employment Public Entity Claims,” 2022
• “Responding to Time-Limited Demands and Offers of Judgment,” 2022
• “Adjusting and Defending Claims Against Public Employees in Light of New SCOTUS Qualified Immunity Case Law,” 2022
• “SCOTUS’s latest word on qualified immunity: an analysis of two new cases,” 2021
• “Understanding and Best Practices for Handling and Defending Georgia Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Claims and Cases,” 2021
• “Hot Topics in Georgia Premises Liability, Negligent Security, Dram Shop Act cases,” 2021
• “Caught on Video: Strategies for defending the public employee captured doing bad things on camera,” 2021
• “Comparing Time-Limited Demand Requirements in Massachusetts, Georgia, and California and Best Practices for Responding in Each Jurisdiction,” 2021
• “Requirements for Time-Limited, Policy Limits ‘Holt’ Demands and Best Practices for Responding to Same,” 2021
• “How to Spot Liability When Fido Bites: Recent Developments in Georgia Dog Bite Law,” 2020
• “Strategies for Handling Claims and Defending Tort Litigation in Georgia,” 2020
• “The New Normal: Defending Transportation Litigation in a COVID-19 World,” Moderator 2020
• “Education Claims in the Wake of COVID-19,” 2020
• “The Role of Coordinating Counsel in the Coronavirus Environment – Protecting Your Business Interests,” 2020
• “Lessons Learned in Trial: Successful Storytelling of the Truck Driver’s Point of View in Tractor-Trailer Accident Cases,” 2019
• “Lost in the Maze? A Map to Understanding Georgia Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Insurance,” 2019
• “Interlocutory Lockout: When the Court Prevents an Immediate Appeal of Qualified Immunity,” 2019
• “Litigation and Medical Funding Roundtable: More Evidence of Backroom Dealings Come to Light,” 2019
• “Welcome to the New Normal: Synthetic Drugs of Abuse and Defending Related Municipal Claims,” 2019
• “Medical Litigation Funding: What You Need To Know About The Scourge Of Modern Litigation,” 2019
• “Civil Prosecution of DUI and Dram Shop Cases, Defense Attorney’s Perspective, Panelist and Speaker,” 2018
• “Claims Investigations and Insurance Coverage Issues,” 2018
• “Litigation and Medical Funding Roundtable: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You,” 2018
• “Say What?  Limits on Municipal Restrictions of Speech,” 2018
• “Expert Cross-Examination: Treating Orthopedic Surgeon,” Moderator 2018
• “There’s Gold in Them Thar E-Hills: Mining for and Using Social Media,” 2018
• “An Update on Bad Faith Resulting From Holt Demands in Georgia,” 2018
• “It Ain’t Me Babe!  Climbing the Rungs of the Monell ladder,” 2017
• “Reptile Roundtable: Lessons Shared From Attorneys Who Have Faced and Defeated The Reptile In Discovery And At Trial,” 2017
• “Shock and Awe: A Year in Review of High Verdicts and Settlements in Georgia,” 2017
• “Legacy and Future Claims in Municipal Law due to Emerging Technologies,” 2017
• “Vicarious Liability: Emerging Defense and Coverage Issues in Georgia and Florida,” 2017
• “One for the Road: Comparing Georgia’s and Florida’s Dram Shop Acts,” 2017
• “Third-Party Homeowner’s Liability Under Georgia Law,” 2016
• “Understanding ADA-based Law Enforcement Claims,” 2016
• “Defending Cases Brought Under Georgia’s Dram Shop Act,” 2016
• “Law Enforcement Liability Update,” 2016
• “Lessons Learned From The Silver Screen: Cross-Examination, Hollywood-Style,” 2016
• “Complications Arising from Multi-Jurisdictional Task Forces,” 2016
• “New Rules, New Roles: How Changes to the Federal Rules Present Opportunities for Associates,” 2016
• “Law Enforcement Liability: Legacy Issues and the Long View,” 2016
• “Professionalism in the Appellate Process,” Moderator, 2016
• “Issues and Strategies for Municipal Liability Claims Involving Physical, Sexual, and Hazing Injuries in Team Sports,” 2015
• “Avoiding Large Verdicts: Lesons Learned from Recent Awards,” 2015
• “A Review of Recent Supreme Court Opinions Regarding Qualified Immunity in Police Chase Cases,” 2015
• “The Legal and Insurance Ramifications of the Militarization of Local Police Department,” 2015
• “Using Technology to Document Difficult to Access Information,” 2015
• “Legal Issues Arising as a Result of Moonlighting Police Officers,” 2014
• “Revised Rules for Preparing Your Witness for Surviving in Depositionland,” 2014
• “Understanding the Effects of Plumhoff on Qualified Immunity,” 2014
• “Pools, Tools, and Beer- Serving Fools: A Georgia Homeowner’s Liability Claims Review,” 2014
• “Preparing Your Witness: More Updated Rules to Surviving Depositionland,” 2013
• “One For the Road: Liability for Acts of Intoxicated Persons in Georgia,” 2013
• “Sauce for the Goose: Using Plaintiffs’ Spoliation of Evidence Against Them,” 2013
• “Skits and Suds On the Road, Ethics Uncorked,” Moderator, 2013
• “Everything You Want And Need to Know as a Car and Home Owner About the Law and Insurance,” 2012
• “Preparing Your Witness: Updated Rules to Surviving Depositionland,” 2012
• “Skits and Suds, Ethics Uncorked,” Moderator, 2012
• “Fire Damage Claims: A Glimpse into the Attorney’s Perspective,” 2012
• “Skits and Suds, Ethics Uncorked, Moderator,” 2011
• “Understanding the Medicare Secondary Payer Act,” 2011
• “Premises Liability 360°, Dissecting a Real Life Trial from Complaint to Verdict: Building Manager’s Strategy,” 2011
• “Preparing Your Witness: Rules to Surviving Depositionland,” 2010
• “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Emerging Technology – What You, Your Faculty & Staff Must Know to Keep Students Safe,” 2010
• “Medicare’s New Mandatory Reporting,” 2009
• “Yes We Can! Tendering Defense and Indemnity,” 2009
• “Excluding Experts Under Daubert,” 2008
• “Understanding the Implications of Thurman v. State Farm on Available UM/UIM Coverage Calculations in GA,”  2008
• “Deal or No Deal: Avoiding the Bad Faith Briefcase,” 2007
• “How to Try and Lose Your Case in the Media,” 2006
• “Insurance Bad Faith in Georgia: A Review of Existing Law and the Changes Georgia’s New Tort Reform Bring to the Table,” 2005
• “Mediation: Tips and Tools,” 2005
• “Expectations on Referrals in New Cases,” 2004
• “Federal Removal Strategies,” 2004
• “Adjunct Professor of Law, Emory University School of Law,” 1995 – 2000