Melissa Skilken has represented clients in product liability, personal injury, and commercial cases in state and federal courts around the country for nearly 20 years. Representing both individual and corporate clients, Melissa has broad experience in civil litigation. Melissa has served as lead counsel at trials, arbitrations, and mediations and has championed her clients’ causes in successful appeals.  She has successfully tried cases to verdict and managed significant pretrial matters including class certification briefing and large e-discovery matters.  She has also provided counseling to her clients to achieve favorable outcomes in employment and commercial disputes and to implement effective claims management strategies.

Representative Experience: 

  • Prepared class-certification briefing in putative nationwide class actions on behalf of an international mobile device manufacturer. 

  • Managed professional-liability and satellite bankruptcy litigation involving claims and assets of more than $100 million.   

  • Obtained verdict in favor of software company after successfully excluding key pieces of defendant’s evidence in breach of contract litigation.  

  • Achieved favorable rulings from state and appellate courts.   

  • Negotiated and drafted favorable resolutions of claims and pending suits in employment, commercial, and tort matters.   

  • Managed pre-suit claims in large-scale construction projects and catastrophic accidents. 

  • Served in lead role in responding to investigations by the FTC, SEC, and DOJ. 

Education

  • University of Cincinnati College of Law; Law Review Scholar, Executive Editor of U. Cin. L. Rev.  

  • Kenyon College, cum laude with high honors  

Experience  

  • Weisman, Kennedy & Berris, Co., L.P.A. 

  • Granovsky & Sundaresh P.L.L.C.  

  • The Sherwin-Williams Company  

  • Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon LLP (Chicago, IL)  

Community Service 

  • Ruffing Montessori School, Board of Trustees 

  • The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, Volunteer  

  • Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association 3Rs Program, Volunteer and Team Leader  

  • Northwestern University School of Law, Adjunct Professor, Introduction to Trial Advocacy 

  • Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, Associate Board of Directors 

Bar Admissions   

  • Ohio  

  • Illinois