Melissa is a trial attorney whose practice is devoted to both commercial litigation and defense of life, disability, credit and property and casualty insurance claims.

Melissa has achieved noted success in collection of retrospective insurance premiums, as well as defeating counterclaims against carriers by disgruntled insureds reluctant to pay for coverage. Through both settlements and verdicts, Melissa has recovered in excess of $1 million in unpaid premiums. She has also had success in devising creative legal theories to attack principals of assetless insureds, who received the financial benefits of coverage, and hoped to avoid payment with the shield of the corporate veil.

Melissa's creativity extends to her more traditional defense practice. Melissa has had a significant impact on the development of Pennsylvania law regarding bad faith in the area of life credit and disability insurance, as she has obtained summary judgments with reported decisions in sales practices, lapsed policy and misrepresentation claims. Melissa recently published an article on sales practices issues in the April 24, 1999 issue of Insurance Advocate.

Melissa is admitted to practice in the State and Federal courts of Pennsylvania, and she has appeared pro hac vice in a number of jurisdictions for clients seeking her particular expertise in commercial matters throughout the United States. AV Peer Review Rated

Education: Virginia Polytechic Institute, 1983; Delaware Law School (now Widener University School of Law), 1986

Admitted to Practice: Pennsylvania (1986); U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (1986); U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (1987)

Practice Areas: Defense of life, disability, credit, property and casualty insurance claims; collection of retrospective insurance premiums and reinsurance & insolvency Practice

Professional/Community Involvement: active in the Philadelphia Bar Association’s community outreach programs, serving as chair of the People’s Law School Committee, for which project she received a Young Lawyers’ Section Achievement Award, and the Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Program.