Paul V. Melodia, Attorney

Paul V. Melodia is a San Francisco native who obtained both his undergraduate and legal education at the University of California Berkeley. A 1964 graduate of Boalt Hall School of Law, Paul was inducted into the Order of the Coif at graduation.

After military service in the judge advocate general corps, he began his career as a trial lawyer. He is acknowledged as one of the deans of Northern California personal injury and wrongful death plaintiff's bar, with a wealth of experience in every facet of personal injury work.

His reputation in the field of medical litigation (including medical malpractice, drug and device litigation and hospital-based liability) is unsurpassed. He is a veteran of hundreds of trials and arbitrations and was one of the pioneers in affixing liability on drug makers for injuries resulting from oral contraceptives, including, the Dalkon Shield IUD. He has also been active in mass tort litigation involving the Swine Flu vaccine, L-tryptophan, and other medical and nutritional products.

In the field of automobile crashworthiness and product liability, he was one of the first attorneys to successfully prosecute a fuel-fed fire claim against an automobile manufacturer.

In recent years, Paul has achieved remarkable results before both juries and arbitrators. Three years ago, a Napa County jury awarded his client over $3,750,000 in a product liability trial against Polaris Industries, a manufacturer of personal water craft. More recently, in December of 2008, he obtained a binding arbitration award in the Kaiser arbitration system, of more than $2,000,000 on behalf of a Kaiser member who suffered a brain injury following negligent care.

Paul is a member of numerous professional organizations and honor societies. He has been elected as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a Diplomate of the American Board of Trial Advocates, a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys, and is listed among the Best Lawyers in America. In 2007 he was listed among the "Top 10" SuperLawyers in Northern California. He is one of the founding members of Northern California's first American Inn of Court. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Boalt Hall Alumni Association also as President of Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger.