Melanie C. Lockett

Download vCard

Melanie Lockett is a litigator at heart. She enjoys a diverse litigation practice which includes insurance coverage and defense, commercial litigation, professional liability, family law, and employment law. Melanie also represents students, faculty, and staff in conflict with the college or university in which they are enrolled or employed. She has an active practice and litigates in both state and federal courts. She is an experienced trial and appellate attorney.

Melanie is an active member of the local and national legal communities. Locally, Melanie serves as Chair of the New Orleans Bar Association’s Minorities in the Profession Committee. She is also a member of the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and the A.P. Tureaud Inn of Court. Melanie served as Chair of the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization. Nationally, Melanie currently serves as a member of the Defense Research Institute’s (“DRI”) Law Institute. She is Chair of the DRI 2021 Insurance Coverage and Practice Symposium and Diversity Liaison to the Insurance Law Committee. Melanie is a member of the American Bar Association and CLM.

Prior to joining the firm, Melanie served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Ivan L.R. Lemelle of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. She received her J.D. on full scholarship from Loyola University School of Law. While in law school, she was a Member of Moot Court, an Oralist on the Pepperdine Entertainment Law Moot Court Team, and member of the Public Interest Law Journal. Melanie received her M.F.A. from Tulane University on full scholarship, and her B.Mus. from Boston University on scholarship.

Before becoming an attorney, Melanie taught music in the New Orleans Public School system and Xavier University. She also performed locally with the New Orleans Opera, in St. Louis Cathedral, and in St. Maria Goretti Church.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Melanie is the second of six children. She is married to Shawn Lockett and together they have two beautiful children.

Publications

• Strategically Defending the Deposition of the Claims Professional, DRI, 2018. Author
• Coverage B: Personal and Advertising Injury Compendium. Chapter 16: An Introduction to the Advertisement Infringement Offense and the Intellectual Property Exclusion. DRI, 2014. Co-Author
• Ethical Issues Relating to the Tripartite Relationship and Settlement of Claims Against Insureds DRI: Insurance Coverage and Claims Seminar, 2014. Co-Author
• Writing a Reservation of Rights: A North American Compendium. Louisiana Chapter. DRI, 2013. Co-Author.
• Fact or Fiction: Patent Infringement Cannot Constitute an “Advertising Injury” Under a Commercial General Liability Policy? DRI: Covered Events, Issue 11, December 5, 2012.

Professional Appearances

• Speaker, Co-Presenter, 2020 Federal Bar Association, New Orleans Chapter
  ​“Impacts of Social Movements in the Workplace”
• Speaker, 2018 DRI Insurance Coverage and Claims Institute
  ​“In the Driver’s Seat: Ethical and Strategic Considerations in the Deposition of the Claims Professional”
• Speaker, 2018 LSBA Advanced Family Law Topics
  “Recent Developments in Jurisprudence”
• Panelist, 2017 DRI Appellate Advocacy Seminar
  “The Role of Insurance on Appeal”
• Speaker, 2016 New Orleans Bar Association
  “Ethics in Advertising”
• Panelist, 2015 DRI Insurance Coverage and Claims Institute
  “The Secret to Success in Mediation: Proper Preparation.”
• Panelist, 2015 LSBA Eighth Annual Conclave on Diversity in the Legal Profession
  “The Changing Landscapes and Effects of Marriage Equality.”
• Moderator, 2013 DRI Diversity for Success Seminar and Corporate Expo
  “What Makes a Successful Cross-Gender/Cross-Racial Mentor/Mentee Relationship?”
• Moderator, 2012 DRI Diversity for Success Seminar and Corporate Expo
  “What’s Happening to Women of Color in the Legal Profession?”