Melissa Foster Bird

Melissa Foster Bird has served as lead trial counsel in more than 35 trials in state and federal courts in West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia. Her experience includes representing clients in complex cases in the pharmaceutical, medical device, transportation, and chemical industries—including other manufacturers, retailers, and convenience stores—in some of the most difficult venues in the nation.

Education:

• Ohio State University, JD (1994)
• Miami University (OH), BS (1990)

Admissions:

• Kentucky
• Supreme Court of the United States
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia

Experience:

• Served as stand-up trial counsel for national medical device manufacturer in pelvic mesh trials, participating in discovery, de bene esse depositions, and trial strategy
• Deposed and defended fact witnesses, plaintiffs, treating physicians, and experts in depositions for pelvic mesh multidistrict litigation
• Took evidentiary depositions of treating physicians for use in cholesterol drug trials
• Experience in workplace sexual harassment and retaliatory termination
• Experience in railroad defense litigation, products liability, premises liability, professional malpractice, and toxic tort cases

Professional Activities:

• Faculty, litigation trial school, National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel
• DRI—The Voice of the Defense Bar
• National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel
• Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia

Community:

• Served as a volunteer for the Huntington Museum of Art Capital Campaign, the United Way of the River Cities, the State Scholars Initiative, and the West Virginia Civil Liberties Union
• Involved in Andrew’s Buddies/FightSMA, an organization that raises funds for research in the area of Spinal Muscular Atrophy