Melissa A. Maravich
Member
Thinking forward. By tradition.
Contact
130 North Court Ave,
Memphis TN 38103
Memphis TN 38103
Tel: 901.524.5142
Fax: 901.524.5024
Practice Areas
Alternative Dispute Resolution, Mediation & Arbitration
Commercial & Business Litigation
Insurance Litigation & Coverage
Labor & Employment Law
Personal Injury Litigation
Products Liability
Commercial & Business Litigation
Insurance Litigation & Coverage
Labor & Employment Law
Personal Injury Litigation
Products Liability
Admitted to Practice
Tennessee, 1989
Bar Admissions
Federal Bar Association
American Bar Association
Tennessee Bar Association
Memphis Bar Association
The Association of Trial Lawyers of America
Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association
American Bar Association
Tennessee Bar Association
Memphis Bar Association
The Association of Trial Lawyers of America
Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association
Melissa Maravich has a diverse litigation practice and has appeared before state, federal and appellate courts in numerous jurisdictions. Her practice primarily focuses on commercial & business litigation, insurance defense and coverage, catastrophic claims and transportation cases.
Ms. Maravich is currently the managing member for the firm’s largest insurance company client and handles general commercial liability, catastrophic claims, complex commercial litigation and coverage issues on behalf of insurance companies and corporations. Ms. Maravich also represents corporations and municipalities in employment, property/zoning matters, and large commercial lease disputes. She has experience in mass tort, class action and multidistrict litigation matters. Ms. Maravich participates in various national transportation and insurance defense practice groups and defends corporations in wrongful death and property damage cases.
Ms. Maravich has been a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 Mediator since 2002 and served as a voluntary mediator for Shelby County Criminal Court Pretrial Services for several years. Ms. Maravich regularly speaks at seminars regarding trial practice and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. She is a Memphis Bar Foundation Fellow and has served on the Board of Directors for Girls, Inc. of Memphis, the YMCA of Memphis and the Mid-South, and the Community Legal Center. Ms. Maravich served as Chair of the Fee Dispute Committee of the Memphis Bar Association for several years.
Representative Matters
- Ms. Maravich obtained a verdict for her client in a 2 million dollar coverage dispute following a trial on the facts with eleven (11) witnesses, four (4) of which were experts. Hughes v. Liberty Mutual, L-18333, Judgment (Blount County, Tenn., January 13, 2020).
- Ms. Maravich represented her client in a 25 million dollar subrogation case involving claims against her clients, the property owner and manager, for negligence resulting from a warehouse fire and including a claim against co-defendant for products liability. She was able to obtain a summary judgement for both clients, which were affirmed on appeal and were denied further review by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Briggs & Stratton Power Products Group v. Osram Sylvania, 2017 WL 5992361 (Tenn. Ct. App. December 4, 2017).
- Ms. Maravich obtained a settlement for her client significantly less than case value in a transportation fatality case and won a dismissal in Federal court against the improper estate representatives.
- Ms. Maravich represented her client in a case involving significant personal injuries suffered by the plaintiff as a result of ice on the commercial client’s property and obtained summary judgement for her client. Barbaglia v. Nonconnah Holdings, LLC 2013 WL 3070799 (W.D. Tenn. June 17, 2013).
- Ms. Maravich obtained a successful settlement for her client immediately prior to trial after the Tennessee Court of Appeals remanded the case to the Trial Court on the issue of statutory employee in a construction case involving a brain injury by the plaintiff. Blackwell v. Comanche Constr., Inc., 2013 WL 1557599 (Tenn. Ct. App. April 15, 2013).
- Ms. Maravich obtained summary judgment for her corporate client after all discovery was completed and immediately before trial in a Title VII sexual harassment case asserted against her client. Moling v. O’Reilly Automotive, Inc., 763 F. Supp. 956 (W.D. Tenn. 2011).
Education
- University of Memphis (J.D., 1989), with honors; Gamma Beta Phi and Tau Omicron Society
- Middle Tennessee State University (B.S., 1979), cum laude
Professional Honors and Activities
- Named in Best Lawyers in America© for Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Insurance in the Memphis area (2025)
- Honored by Best Lawyers in America for Labor Law- Management (2024)
- Tennessee Supreme Court Listed Rule 31 Mediator
- Fellow, Memphis Bar Foundation
- Litigation Section, Memphis Bar Association; Tennessee Bar Association; American Bar Association
- Member, Civil Justice Reform Act Advisory Group Committee, U.S. District Court, W.D. Tennessee (1995-2000)
- Chair, Fee Dispute Committee, Memphis Bar Association
- Judicial Clerk to the Honorable Jerome Turner, Judge, U.S. District Court of the Western District of Tennessee (1989-1990)
Publications and Presentations of Note
- Presenter, “Opening Statements,” Continuing Legal Education Presentation at FedEx Corporate Headquarters (October 2013)
- Author, “Opening Statement Considerations,” Memphis Lawyer, Vol. 29, Issue 6 (December 2012)
- Author, “Navigating the Potholes – Opening Statements,” ALFA International Transportation Practice Group Publication (2012)
- Presenter, “Plaintiff’s Attorney in Mock Trial,” ALFA International Transportation Practice Group Annual Seminar (2012)
- Presenter, “Federal Motion Practice and Oral Advocacy,” U.S. District Court of the Western District of Tennessee (2000)
- Co-author, Relevance: The Tennessee Balancing Act, 57 TENN. L. REV. 33 (1989)
Community Involvement
- Former Member, Board of Directors, Girls, Inc. of Memphis
- Former Member, Board of Directors, YMCA of Memphis and the Mid-South
- Former Member, Board of Directors, Fund Raising Chair, Community Legal Center
- Former Member, Board of Directors, Counseling and Education Center of Memphis
