Wayne Melnick is a Partner and former Vice-Chair of the firm’s Government Law practice section. He also is a member of the firm’s Tort and Catastrophic Loss practice section where he Chairs FMG’s Media law practice team as well as being Vice-Chair of FMG’s Transportation practice team. Mr. Melnick is an extremely accomplished trial attorney and has tried over 100 jury trials to verdict in cases throughout the country. Based on his extensive trial experience and track record of success, Mr. Melnick is often called in at the 11th hour to “parachute” in and take over as lead trial counsel for high risk high exposure cases as a member of FMG’s On Call Trial Team. As one of FMG’s most accomplished trial attorneys, Mr. Melnick Chairs FMG’s Trial Committee. That committee is responsible for reviewing every case across the nation that an FMG attorney will take to trial or arbitration to ensure that it is properly prepared and the best arguments are put forth on behalf of FMG’s clients.
For every year since 2013, Mr. Melnick has been named a "Georgia Super Lawyer" in the areas of civil law defense and prior to that was selected multiple times as a “Rising Star.” He is also continuously recognized as one of America’s “Best Lawyers.” Mr. Melnick previously served as one of only three Northern District of Georgia Representatives on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association where he chaired various committees.
As part of the firm’s Government Law practice section, Mr. Melnick has a broad-based litigation practice with a focus on local government defense. He has defended cities, counties, school districts, teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, sheriffs, police officers, and various other types of governmental entities and individuals in civil rights and general liability matters in both state and federal court at the pre-litigation, trial, and appellate levels. He also serves as general counsel for charter schools in Georgia. For several years, Mr. Melnick was the Co-lead Chair of the Claims Litigation Management Alliance’s National Municipal Law Committee. Mr. Melnick is recognized as a national authority in civil rights cases, immunity issues, and education law and is frequently requested to speak around the nation regarding those topics. Mr. Melnick has defended many school districts, teachers, and administrators in cases involving alleged tort or sexual assault, school discipline and safety, and other constitutional claims.
Mr. Melnick's practice also includes the defense of clients in a variety of commercial and complex litigation matters. He is panel counsel for a number of the nation's largest providers of commercial general liability and professional coverage. Mr. Melnick has extensive experience involving the defense of trucking cases and has repeatedly defended multi-million dollar claims and law suits involving trucking accidents. He is also recognized as being at the forefront of defending claims and cases involving internet defamation and media, advertising and entertainment liability claims. Because he defends cases that regularly are covered by international news media, Mr. Melnick has been retained to defend celebrities in high-profile cases brought against them.
Mr. Melnick also has particular experience in the healthcare field. He has represented represented hospitals, physician groups, long-term care facilities, nursing homes, medical staffing entities, medical technology providers and many other medical providers and allied health institutions. He also represents physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals in all aspects of their respective professions, including claims for professional negligence.
Mr. Melnick received both his undergraduate and law degree from Emory University. Immediately following law school, he was selected as a law clerk with the Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia, serving as clerk to The Honorable W. Homer Drake, Jr., Bankruptcy Judge and The Honorable A. David Kahn, Chief Bankruptcy Judge. He has also been a litigation instructor at Emory University School of Law in the Kessler-Eidson Trial Techniques Program as well as the Chairperson of the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association Pre-Trial Discovery and Deposition Bootcamp. In recognition of his extensive trial experience as lead counsel, Mr. Melnick has achieved the elevated rank of Associate Membership with the American Board of Trial Advocates.
“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)]
A.P. v. Fayette County School District, et al., 2023 WL 4174070 (11th Cir., Case No. 21-12562, June 26, 2023) [Title IX (Sex Discrimination and Retaliation), Section 1983 (Equal Protection)]
Lemontree Properties, LLC v. Samples, 357 Ga. App. 410, 850 S.E.2d 849 (2020) [Civil Procedure, premises liability, Dog Bite]
YES Companies, Exp2, LLC v. Rodriguez, Georgia Court of Appeals Case No. A20A1522(2020) (unreported) [Civil Procedure, premises liability, Dog Bite]