Melanie C. Lockett

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Melanie Lockett enjoys a diverse litigation practice which includes insurance coverage and defense, education, commercial litigation, employment law, professional liability, and family law.

Melanie has litigated cases in Louisiana state and federal courts. She has also successfully appealed cases to Louisiana Courts of Appeal and Louisiana Supreme Court. Melanie’s innovative and diligent approach to representing defendants has led to notable successes including thwarting efforts to expand an insurance agent’s duty in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. City Blueprint & Supply Co. v. Boggio, 3 So.3d 62 (La. App. 4 Cir. 12/17/08), relied upon in Isidore Newman School v. Eaves, Inc., 42 So.3d 352 (La. 7/13/10). Melanie’s unrelenting character has also led to success on behalf of plaintiffs including professors seeking to enforce obligations arising out of tenure contracts, professors and students involved in and challenging university level disciplinary decisions, and employees faced with employment discrimination.

In 2013, Melanie was appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court to the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization. She held the position of Chairperson on that Board for the 2017-18 term. Melanie is also actively involved in the Defense Research Institute (“DRI”). She currently serves as a member of DRI’s Law Institute. Melanie served as Chair of Substantive Law Committee Programming on the 2018 Annual Meeting Steering Committee. She also continues to serve as a member of the Diversity Committee’s Steering Committee and the Insurance Law Committee’s Diversity Liaison. Formerly, Melanie served as Co-Chair of the 2013 DRI Diversity Corporate Expo. Melanie is also a member of the Federal Bar Association, New Orleans Bar Association, A.P. Tureaud Inns of Court, Claims & Litigation Management Alliance, American Bar Association, Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, and the Louisiana Bar Association.

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 the Moot Court Staff, 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 they have two beautiful children.

Publications

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

Professional Appearances

• 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?”
• Panelist, 2017 DRI Appellate Advocacy Seminar​
  "The Role of Insurance on Appeal"