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Lawyer Profile

Image of Wayne S. Melnick

Wayne S. Melnick

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Freeman Mathis & Gary LLP
  • Recognized Since:
    2021
  • Recognized in:
    Litigation - Insurance
  • Law School:
    Emory University
  • Website:
    http://www.fmglaw.com
  • Phone Number:
    (770) 818.4256
  • E-mail:
    wmelnick@fmglaw.com
  • Location:
    100 Galleria Parkway, Suite 1600
    Atlanta, GA 30339-5948
  • LinkedIn

Wayne Melnick is a Partner and 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 is Vice-Chair of FMG’s Transportation practice team. Mr. Melnick is an accomplished trial attorney and has tried over 50 jury trials to verdict in cases throughout the country. 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 previously served as one of only three Northern District of Georgia Representatives on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association. 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, 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. Mr. Melnick is 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 and immunity issues and is frequently requested to speak around the nation regarding municipal liability.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. Mr. Melnick 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 received both his undergraduate and law degree from Emory University. He served 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 also has served as a litigation instructor at Emory University School of Law in the Kessler-Eidson Trial Techniques Program and as the Chairperson of the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association Pre-Trial Discovery and Deposition Bootcamp.

When not litigating cases, Mr. Melnick is a long-time drummer who picked up his first pair of sticks when he was 8 years old. 

Currently, he sits behind the drum kit for the rock cover band, Ooo…Shiny! An avid soccer fan, Mr. Melnick is also part of the drum corps supporting Atlanta United FC (MLS) and can be found playing drums in AUFC’s Supporter’s Section helping energize the crowd every home game.

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  • Lawyer Bio
  • Client Comments
  • Lawyer Practice Areas
  • Firm Details

Lawyer Bio

Wayne Melnick is a Partner and 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 is Vice-Chair of FMG’s Transportation practice team. Mr. Melnick is an accomplished trial attorney and has tried over 50 jury trials to verdict in cases throughout the country. 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 previously served as one of only three Northern District of Georgia Representatives on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association. 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, 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. Mr. Melnick is 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 and immunity issues and is frequently requested to speak around the nation regarding municipal liability.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. Mr. Melnick 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 received both his undergraduate and law degree from Emory University. He served 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 also has served as a litigation instructor at Emory University School of Law in the Kessler-Eidson Trial Techniques Program and as the Chairperson of the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association Pre-Trial Discovery and Deposition Bootcamp.

When not litigating cases, Mr. Melnick is a long-time drummer who picked up his first pair of sticks when he was 8 years old. 

Currently, he sits behind the drum kit for the rock cover band, Ooo…Shiny! An avid soccer fan, Mr. Melnick is also part of the drum corps supporting Atlanta United FC (MLS) and can be found playing drums in AUFC’s Supporter’s Section helping energize the crowd every home game.

Read more on firm website
  • Education
  • Bar & Court Admissions
  • Affiliations
  • Award List

Education:

  • Emory University

Bar Admissions:

  • Georgia, Active
 

Court Admissions:

  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Georgia
  • Florida Supreme Court
  • Georgia Court of Appeals
  • Supreme Court of Georgia
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit
  • U.S. District Court Middle District of Georgia
  • U.S. District Court Southern District of Georgia
  • United States Supreme Court

Affiliations:

  • Association of Defense Trial Attorneys - Member
  • Atlanta Claims Association - Member
  • Claims & Litigation Management Alliance - Member
  • Defense Research Institute - Member
  • Georgia Defense Lawyers Association - Member

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for work in:

  • Litigation - Insurance
 

Lawyer Client Comments

Lawyer Practice Areas

Key: Awarded in Best Lawyers Not Currently Awarded for this Area in Best Lawyers

Firm Details

Image for Freeman Mathis & Gary LLP View Firm Profile
Freeman Mathis & Gary LLP
http://www.fmglaw.com
 
Headquarters
100 Galleria Parkway, Suite 1600
Atlanta, GA 30339-5948
(770) 818.0000
20 Office Locations
in 1 Country

United States

United States

California

California

El Segundo, CA

400 Continental Boulevard, Sixth Floor

El Segundo, CA 90245

United States

(310) 937.2066

Get Directions

Los Angeles, CA

550 South Hope Street. Suite 2200

Los Angeles, CA 90071-2631

United States

(231) 615.7000

Get Directions

Roseville, CA

1013 Galleria Boulevard, Suite 250

Roseville, CA 95678-1365

United States

(916) 472.3300

Get Directions

San Diego, CA

225 Broadway, Suite 1460

San Diego, CA 92101-5052

United States

(619) 687.3000

Get Directions

San Francisco, CA

44 Montgomery Street, Suite 3580

San Francisco, CA 94104-6702

United States

(415) 627.9000

Get Directions

San Rafael, CA

1010 B Street, Suite 300

San Rafael, CA 94901-2592

United States

(415) 394.9500

Get Directions

Seal Beach, CA

3030 Old Ranch Parkway, Suite 280

Seal Beach, CA 90740-2713

United States

(562) 583.2124

Get Directions

Connecticut

Connecticut

New Haven, CT

157 Church Street, 19th Floor

New Haven, CT 06510-2100

United States

(508) 254.3818

Get Directions

Florida

Florida

Tampa, FL

2502 North Rocky Point Drive, Suite 860

Tampa, FL 33607-1447

United States

(813) 774.6363

Get Directions

Georgia

Georgia

Forest Park, GA

661 Forest Parkway, Suite E

Forest Park, GA 30297-2256

United States

(404) 366.1000

Get Directions

Savannah, GA

100 Bull Street, Suite 200

Savannah, GA 31401-3305

United States

(912) 421.3100

Get Directions

Kentucky

Kentucky

Lexington, KY

2525 Harrodsburg Road Suite 500

Lexington, KY 40504-3359

United States

(859) 410.7868

Get Directions

Massachusetts

Massachusetts

Boston, MA

60 State Street, Suite 600

Boston, MA 02109-1800

United States

(617) 963.5975

Get Directions

New Jersey

New Jersey

Cherry Hill, NJ

Three Executive Campus, Suite 155

Cherry Hill, NJ 08002-4114

United States

(856) 324.8200

Get Directions

Newark, NJ

One Gateway Center, Suite 2600

Newark, NJ 07102

United States

(201) 248.1066

Get Directions

New York

New York

New York, NY

Five Penn Plaza, 23rd Floor

New York, NY 10001-1810

United States

(212) 835.1612

Get Directions

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

Cranberry Township, PA

2009 Mackenzie Way, Suite 100

Cranberry Township, PA 16066-5338

United States

(724) 720.9413

Get Directions

Philadelphia, PA

1800 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Suite 1500

Philadelphia, PA 19103-7401

United States

(267) 758.6009

Get Directions

Rhode Island

Rhode Island

Providence, RI

10 Dorrance Street, Suite 700

Providence, RI 02903-2014

United States

(401) 519.3724

Get Directions

 
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