Atty. Brian Melendez
Brian Melendez is a veteran litigator with more than two decades of experience in trial and appellate practice, and a former president of the Minnesota State Bar Association. His practice focuses on consumer-credit litigation and business torts.
Profile Summary
About Brian Melendez at a glance
Brian Melendez is a business and litigation attorney based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, practicing at Barnes & Thornburg LLP. Admitted to practice in Florida, Florida Bar Association and Minnesota, Minnesota Bar Association. Educated at Harvard University (J.D., 1991) and Harvard University (—, 1991). Recognitions include Best Lawyers in America — Commercial Litigation (2026), Best Lawyers in America — Additional Areas of Practice: (2026), and Best Lawyers in America — Litigation - Banking and Finance (2026). Serands clients in Minneapolis, MN and the surrounding metropolitan area.
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About
- Brian Melendez is a veteran litigator with more than two decades of experience in trial and appellate practice, and a former president of the Minnesota State Bar Association
- His practice focuses on consumer-credit litigation and business torts
- He has defended consumer-financial-services providers in more than 300 cases in over 40 states
- Brian was named by Minnesota Lawyer magazine in 2002 as one of the Top Ten Attorneys of the Year
- he won the award a second time in 2008, only the second person to win twice
- He has been named to the Minnesota Super Lawyers list in every year since 2003, and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America
- Brian earned his bachelor’s degree with honors from Harvard College in 1986
- his J.D. with honors from Harvard Law School in 1991, where he wrote on “Districting a Diverse Society,” and a master’s degree in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School in 1991, concentrating in ethics
- Brian has defended clients, including several Fortune 100 companies, in litigation ranging from contractual disputes to business torts to sophisticated consumer-protection claims
- He has litigated more than 300 cases under federal and state consumer-protection statutes, including the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Consumer Credit Protection Act, the Truth in Lending Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Fair & Accurate Credit Transactions Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and the Minnesota Prevention of Consumer Fraud Act
- Please click here for a more complete list
- Brian has appeared in more than 30 federal district courts and in state courts in more than 20 states
- He serves on the Federal Practice Committee for the U.S
- District Court for the District of Minnesota, where he chairs the style committee
- Brian is admitted to the bar in Minnesota and Florida
- He is admitted to practice before the U.S
- District Courts for the District of Minnesota, District of Colorado, Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Eastern District of Michigan, Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Western District of Wisconsin, in addition to the appellate courts listed below
- Brian has defended more than a dozen putative nationwide class actions involving federal consumer-protection statutes, including one of the earliest class-action claims under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act in 2000
- Please click here for a list
- Brian has argued cases before the U.S
- Courts of Appeals for the Seventh, Eighth, and Tenth circuits, and is admitted to practice before the U.S
- Supreme Court and 12 of the 14 federal courts of appeals
- He has filed amicus briefs in the Supreme Court and nine federal circuits
- He represented the lead petitioner in ACA International v
- Federal Communications Commission (D.C
- Cir. 2018), the consolidated challenge to the commission's 2015 ruling on the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (the 2015 TCPA Order)
- Brian has served as parliamentarian for more than a dozen organizations, including seven terms for the ABA Young Lawyers Division, and two years on the Committee on Rules & Calendar for the ABA House of Delegates
- He chaired the ABA Standing Committee on Constitution & Bylaws, and has written the constitution or bylaws for over two dozen organizations
- He has taught seminars on parliamentary law for many bar-association, political, and other groups
- He is a contributing editor defining more than 400 parliamentary-law terms for the eighth (2004), ninth (2009), and tenth (2014) editions of Black’s Law Dictionary
- Brian is a member of the American Institute of Parliamentarians and the National Association of Parliamentarians
- Brian has also written and taught about legal writing and drafting
- He was a contributor to The Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style, published by the West Group
- and the second through fourth editions of Garner’s Modern English Usage by Bryan A. Garner, published by Oxford University Press
Practice Areas Explained
Brian Melendez's Areas of Practice
Each practice area below reflects the types of cases Brian Melendez handles, with a brief overview of what that area of law covers.
Business attorneys advise founders and growing companies on entity formation, contracts, financing, M&A, and dispute resolution.
Brian Melendez is one of 501,317 business attorneys indexed nationally. Browse business attorneys in Minnesota →
Civil litigation attorneys for breach of contract, business disputes, civil rights, and class action lawsuits.
Brian Melendez is one of 454,532 litigation attorneys indexed nationally. Browse litigation attorneys in Minnesota →
Jurisdictional Context
Why local counsel matters in Minnesota
Practicing law in Minnesota. Legal matters in Minnesota are governed by state-specific rules of civil and criminal procedure, statutes of limitations, and substantive law. Cases originating in Minneapolis are typically filed in the local municipal court or the appropriate Minnesota state district court, depending on subject matter and amount in controversy. An attorney licensed in Minnesota brings working knowledge of local procedural deadlines, judicial practices in this andnue, and the substantive law that applies to cases brought here. Out-of-state attorneys generally cannot represent clients in Minnesota courts without local counsel or pro hac vice admission.
Looking for additional Minnesota attorneys? Browse all attorneys in Minneapolis or all attorneys in Minnesota.
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