Melissa S. Rabbani focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts. Prior to joining O’Melveny, Melissa worked for large firms in Los Angeles and New York, where she regularly handled matters involving entertainment, contractual, trademark, patent, and antitrust disputes.
Melissa has experience at all stages of litigation, including pre-litigation counseling, settlement negotiation, trial, arbitration, and appeals. Melissa also maintains a robust pro bono practice, and she has devoted significant time to representing Spanish-speaking immigrants pro bono in immigration court.
Recently, she represented a local LGBTQ rights organization in a suit against the California Department of Education, which resulted in a successful settlement agreement mandating significant changes to the Department’s handling of student complaints of discrimination.
Experience:
- Successfully defended a leading shoe company in investigation into alleged infringement of trademark rights, with the International Trade Commission’s ruling clearing the company of infringement named #1 trademark ruling of 2016 by IP Law360
- Secured a motion to dismiss an action alleging infringement of various trademark rights against a prominent mobile phone company
- Successfully defended a major talent agency in an action alleging violations of federal antitrust laws
- Successfully defended a major aerospace company in action alleging infringement of patents related to airplane lavatories
- Represented life sciences company in suit alleging non-infringement and invalidity of patents relating to a breakthrough cancer treatment, as well of breach of contract relating to research on subject matter of patents
Admissions:
- California
- New York
- US District Court, Central and Northern Districts of California
- US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Education:
- University of Michigan, J.D., 2008: cum laude; Contributing Editor, Michigan Law Review; Recipient, Clarence Darrow Scholarship
- Harvard University, A.B., 2005
Clerkships:
- Honorable Andrew J. Guilford, US District Court, Central District of California
Cost
Rate : $$$