MELMED LAW GROUP - Key Persons
Emma is an associate attorney at Melmed Law Group P.C. Prior to joining the firm, Emma worked as a fellow at the National Center for Youth Law where she supported class action litigation providing nationwide protection for children in federal immigration custody. She earned her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 2022. During law school, she worked as a student attorney in the Worker's Rights Clinic, advocating for clients at administrative law hearings.
Joanne is an attorney with Melmed Law Group P.C. Joanne graduated from Boston University School of Law. During law school, Joanne worked as an in-house counsel extern at Boston University's Office of General Counsel and a student advocate at the Startup Law Clinic where she advised student entrepreneurs from MIT and Boston University. Joanne also interned at the Office of the Attorney General in the Employment and Administrative Mandate Section. There, Joanne helped defend state agencies on cases involving workplace harassment and discrimination.
Joanne's experience working defensively on behalf of employers ultimately sparked her interest and passion in protecting employees' rights. That passion has led Joanne to pursue a career in advocating for unjustly impacted employees.
Prior to law school, Joanne received a degree in English Literature at Emory University. During her free time, Joanne enjoys spending time with her family, taking photographs of her two dogs, and discovering new restaurants in Southern California.
Since law school, Jonathan Melmed has dedicated his entire professional career exclusively to high-stakes litigation. During law school, he clerked for two summers with a labor and employment law firm where he concentrated on class action litigation under California and federal wage and hour laws. He assisted with the prosecution of claims on behalf of employees who suffered from workplace harassment, discrimination, and wage theft.
Mr. Melmed then clerked for one of the premier antitrust and complex litigation law firms in the country where he assisted in cases involving antitrust, unfair competition, securities, misappropriation of trade secrets, and other complex claims in state, federal, and international courts. During law school, Mr. Melmed also volunteered at the Disability Rights Legal Center where he provided free legal assistance to people with disabilities experiencing discrimination in violation of their civil rights under state and federal disability laws.
After graduating from law school, Mr. Melmed spent two years as an associate attorney in a litigation boutique in Los Angeles where he represented insurers and managed care companies in the health, life, and disability insurance industries, real estate owners and developers, and companies and individuals doing business in the hotel, restaurant, and hospitality industries.
As an associate, Mr. Melmed represented over a dozen health insurers in bad faith, ERISA, breach of contract, and related disputes in state and federal court and arbitration tribunals. He also represented hotels, restaurants, and real estate development groups in state and federal commercial litigation in connection with real estate contract disputes, construction law, corporate duties, leasing and licensing agreements.
Kyle Smith firmly believes in a client-centered approach to legal work. The starting point for every case should be the needs and wants of the client. Because those vary with every person, it's important for lawyers to take the time to understand their clients. By taking the client-centered approach to each case, Kyle believes he can achieve the most desirable results for each client.
While studying at UCLA Law School, Kyle served as the Managing Articles Editor of the UCLA Journal of Law and Technology as well as a Managing Editor on the UCLA Journal of Environmental Law and Policy. He also served as a Judicial Extern for the then-Chief Judge in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, where he gained experience in a broad range of topics involving federal law and appellate procedure.
Immediately after law school, Kyle served as a Deputy City Attorney for several cities across California. After that, he spent several years representing indigent criminal defendants in appeals. In his present practice, Kyle uses these valuable lawyering skills to promote employee rights. Kyle has been selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star each year since 2018 - a recognition awarded to only 2.5% of attorneys in California.
Job Titles:
- Director of Practice Support
- Professional Affiliations / Member, Los Angeles Paralegal Association / Member, Beverly Hills Century City Legal Secretaries Association
Maria is an attorney with Melmed Law Group P.C. and exclusively represents employees in California in state court, federal court, and arbitration. Maria's practice focuses on wage-and-hour class actions and individual claims, including claims for harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination, and whistleblowers.
Michiko is an associate attorney with Melmed Law Group, P.C. advocating for employees seeking to vindicate their rights in state and federal court. Michiko has many years of experience litigating wage and hour, harassment and discrimination claims as well as other employment violations. Michiko began her legal career as a labor and employment attorney representing both Plaintiffs and Defendants but discovered her true passion lies in seeking justice for employees who have been harmed in the workplace.
Michiko received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in German and Spanish from Occidental College, where she was a Fulbright Finalist for Germany. She then went on to get her Master's Degree in Linguistics from California State University, Long Beach, and taught English to adult second language learners at the American Language Institute at CSULB. It was during her tenure as a teacher and speaking with so many people treated unfairly in the workplace that Michiko developed her desire to go into labor and employment law. She remains committed to seeking justice and fairness for her clients.
In her free time, Michiko spends time volunteering with a local guinea pig rescue and caring for her own herd of guinea pigs. She is also an avid chess player.