Awards and Recognitions
Melissa D. Wischerath is a skilled trial attorney holding wrongdoers accountable in a wide variety of wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases, including police abuse, construction injuries, car crashes, and products liability. Her practice includes:
- Civil Rights
- Disability Discrimination
- Construction Site Accidents
- Personal Injury
- Product Liability
- Wrongful Death
- Sexual Abuse
- Tractor Trailer Collisions
- Car Accidents
Melissa has spent her career successfully fighting to protect the rights of people who have been hurt, abused, or neglected through no fault of their own. For this work, in 2016, Ms. Wischerath received the prestigious Honorable James M. Burns Federal Practice Award, an award usually only given to late-career lawyers, in recognition of her professionalism and service representing low-income and under-represented clients. She has also been named a Best Lawyers “One to watch,” a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyer every year since 2016.
Bar and Court Admissions
- Oregon, 2013
- New York, 2012
- United States District Court, Western District of New York
- United States District Court, Northern District of New York
- United States District Court, Oregon
- United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Education
- State University of New York at Buffalo, J.D., 2011
- Fordham University, B.A., 2004
Community Involvement
- Board of Directors, 21st Century Park on the Outer Harbor, Inc
- Advisory Board of Directors, Northwest Land Conservation Trust
- Board of Directors, Campaign for Greater Buffalo
Professional Activities
- New York State Bar Association, Member
- Oregon State Bar Association, Member
- American Association for Justice (“AAJ”), Member
- Western New York Chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, Member
- Bar Association of Erie County, Member
Speaking Engagements
- Workshop leader for American Association for Justice (“AAJ”) Virtual Depositions College: Sharpening Your Skills, October 14, 2022- November 4, 2022
- Workshop leader for American Association for Justice (“AAJ”) Trial Advocacy College: Depositions, September 8 – September 10, 2022
- 34th Annual Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, How to Start and Run a Public Interest Law Practice, 2016
- 33rd Annual Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, Reclaiming the Promise of Home Rule to Protect the Environment, 2015
- Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics, “Earned Sick Leave, Preemption and the Powers of Local Government,” 2014
- CLE Access to Justice, CLE on the Federal District Court Pro Bono Panel, 2014
- 32nd Annual Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, Food Systems and Environmental Law, 2014
In the News
- Erie County Jail Deaths Substantially Higher Than Reported – The Investigative Post
- Erie County sued over 2023 death of inmate who was retrained -The Buffalo News
- Several Media Outlets Report on Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of The Estate of a Deceased Detainee Who Died in The Erie County Holding Center Due to Lack of Adequate Medical Attention
- Lawsuit Filed After Buffalo Police Officers Repeatedly Punch Dirt Bike Driver -WKBW
- “Fired deputy accused in lawsuit of sexual contact with Erie County inmate” –The Buffalo News
- “Man Shoved by Officers During Protest Sues Buffalo Police” -The New York Times
- “Elderly Protester Whose Skull Was Fractured Sues Buffalo After Cops Escape Prosecution” -Forbes
- “A Police-Friendly Arbitrator Made an All Too Commons Decision in Buffalo” -The Washington Post
- “Judge rules DA must turn over files for injured protester Martin Gugino’s civil lawsuit” -The Buffalo News
- Federal judge orders Eugene School District to compensate for denying autistic teenager proper evaluation, education, The Register-Guard
- County ordered to pay $25,418, The Register-Guard