Wonder Woman in Business, Melissa Jones

Susan Freeman

November 20, 2020

Lawyer, Strategy, Team Building, Women Leaders

Melissa Jones is a trial lawyer who provides experienced and practical counsel in complex business disputes, appellate matters and internal investigations. She has represented clients from a broad range of industries in complex civil litigation matters in both state and federal court, including the agribusiness, and oil and gas industries. Her practice includes an emphasis on Proposition 65 defense as well. Additionally, Melissa has held various leadership roles at the firm. She is the Firm Managing Partner and serves on the firm’s Executive Committee. Melissa is a former office managing partner for the firm’s three California offices and also recently served as the chair of the Partner Compensation Committee.

Melissa’s experience includes litigating claims for breach of contract, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, misappropriation of trade secrets, product liability, false advertising, and unfair competition. She has worked on internal investigations for both publicly traded and private companies on complex compliance and accounting issues and has represented companies in government enforcement actions, including matters involving the California Attorney General’s office and the Air Resources Board.

Melissa regularly defends companies in litigation claims related to California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act (Proposition 65) and Unfair Competition Law (17200) and advises companies on Prop 65 compliance. She leads the Firm’s Prop 65 defense and compliance team. Her Prop 65 clients range from large retailers to vendors and manufacturers, in industries including apparel, footwear, handbags, eyewear, fitness products, children’s products, furniture, electronics, hobby and crafts, automotive, personal care products and accessories, food and dietary supplements and natural foods. She has defended Prop 65 actions and advised clients in matters regarding listed chemicals including lead, Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates (BBP, DBP, DINP, DIDP, and DEHP), carbon monoxide, cadmium, 4-MEI, crystalline silica, acrylamide, arsenic, trisphosphate (TDCPP, TCEP), Diethanolamine and Cocomide-DEA. She also advises clients on other California regulations.

Before joining Stoel Rives, Melissa was a litigation partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP, where she worked for 10 years. After law school, she clerked for the Honorable Harry Pregerson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

She has been an active member of the legal community, serving as President to the Sacramento Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, as a Lawyer Representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, the Chair of the Eastern District Conference, a Board Member for Women Lawyers of Sacramento, and as a member of the Eastern District’s Judicial Advisory Committee.