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.