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Of Counsel
Areas of Practice
Ms. Mellard specializes in the law governing lawyers, representing lawyers and law firms in litigation and state bar proceedings and advising lawyers and law firms on risk management issues and ethics.
Professional Qualifications
Ms.
Mellard has been a litigator for over 20 years and has handled a wide variety of civil litigation matters arising out of claims against attorneys and employers. Representative cases in professional liability include: defense of a large Silicon Valley law firm in a malpractice action arising out of an underlying trade secret lawsuit; defense of a large Northern California law firm in a malpractice action arising out of the settlement of a worker's compensation claim and third party lawsuit; defense of a large San Francisco firm in lawsuit filed by non-clients arising out of the settlement of an underlying matter; defense of a legal malpractice action arising out of advice regarding environmental investigation of commercial property; and defense of a Bay Area firm in a malicious prosecution case arising out of an underlying legal malpractice claim.
In addition to litigation, Ms. Mellard counsels law firms and lawyers on ethics and conflict issues, represents law firms in disqualification motions, and represents lawyers in State Bar investigations.
Ms. Mellard has argued matters before the California Courts of Appeal and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and has represented clients through contractual arbitration and alternative dispute resolution processes. She is a member of the Litigation Section of the California Bar Association, the Center for Professional Responsibility and Business Law Section of the ABA, and the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers. Ms. Mellard served on the State Bar Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct (COPRAC) from 2005 to 2010, and was the Chair of the Committee for the 2008-2009 term.
Education
J.D., University of California
at Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall),
1982
B.A., University of California,
Santa Barbara, 1971
With highest honors, Phi Beta Kappa, Mortar Board
Bar Admissions
California - 1982
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Practices
Complex Commercial Litigation
Labor & Employment
Publications and Speaking Engagements
Recent Developments Affecting the Law of Lawyers,
State Bar Annual Convention (Monterey - September 2008)
Ethics Update 2008: Recent Developments and Proposed New Rules, CEB seminar in San Francisco (November 2008) and Sacramento (December 2008)
Overview of State Bar - Disciplinary System - Reporting and Responding Dos and Don'ts, Women Lawyers of Alameda County (July 2007)
Hot Topics - Update on Conflicts
and Ethical Walls; Update on the Attorney-Client
Privilege; Ethical Problems with Outside Counsel
Guidelines, CLE International, Los Angeles
and San Francisco
(January 2007)
Other People's Money - An
Overview of Client Trust Accounting, State Bar Annual Conference in Monterey -
October 2006
Ethical Issues Arising from Intellectual
Property Issues in Business Transactions 2006, PLI, May 2, 2006
Contact
Robert Dollar Building, 10th Floor
311 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94104
Phone: 415.956.2828
Fax: 415.956.6457
smellard@rjo.com
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