Commercial litigation and appellate representation with unique strategy perspective

Melanie Kalmanson focuses on commercial litigation, representing businesses and individuals in all phases of litigation in state and federal court. She represents local and national lenders, loan servicers, contractors and other sophisticated parties in a variety of disputes, including:

• Loan enforcement actions
• Real estate and contract disputes
• Franchise and construction matters
• Motor vehicle-related matters
• Tort actions

As a former Florida Supreme Court law clerk, Melanie has a familiarity with the Florida Supreme Court’s jurisdiction that gives her an invaluable understanding of the appellate process and a unique perspective on strategies to best assist clients. She takes a pragmatic approach toward every dispute to obtain the best available outcomes while managing risk efficiently and effectively.

Melanie is vice chair of the Real Estate and Construction Litigation Subgroup.

Bar Admissions

• District of Columbia
• Florida

Education

• Florida State University (B.S., cum laude, 2013)

• Florida State University College of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2016)
  • Florida State University Law Review, executive editor
  • Order of the Coif

• 10 Years of Miami Law Review’s Eleventh Circuit Issue
• 11th Circuit Historical News
• Ring and Hurst Retroactivity: Deconstructing Divergent Doctrines
• Are Your Subs Covered?
• Choosing Where to Enforce a Federal Judgment in Florida
• Diversity Destroyed. Jurisdiction Sunk?
• Filling the Gap of Domestic Violence Protection: Returning Human Rights to U.S. Victims
• LADR Case Notes April 2023 - June 2023 and FLJ Currents (Summer 2023)
• Litigators Should Approach AI Tools With Caution
• Melanie Kalmanson and Emily Plakon Author Article for Franchise Law Journal Reviewing Current Landscape of Forum Selection Clause Litigation
• Melanie Kalmanson Writes Article Detailing Constitutional Issues with Florida’s Capital Punishment Statute
• New Florida law imposes warranty requirements on Florida builders starting in 2025
• Send Them a Message?: The Threat to a Fair and Impartial State-Court Judiciary, Am. Judges Ass’n Court Review
• Seventh Circuit Rejects Dismissal of Franchisee No-Poach Clause Challenge
• Somewhere Between Death Row and Death Watch: The Procedural Trap Capital Defendants Face in Raising Execution-Related Claims
• Steps Toward Abolishing Capital Punishment: Incrementalism in the American Death Penalty
• The 2020 Eleventh Circuit Issue Highlights Arbitration in the Eleventh Circuit
• The Federal Advantage: Why Today’s Polarized Politics Pose the Greatest Threat to State Courts
• University of Miami Law Review’s 2019 Eleventh Circuit Issue
• Welcoming Florida’s Sixth District Court of Appeal
• [A] History [Of Discrimination] Only Goes So Far [in Equal Protection Litigation]

Seminar

• Appellate Section Luncheon/CLE: Practicing Before the Florida Supreme Court
• Hot Topics Impacting the Loan Servicing Industry
• Hot Topics Impacting the Loan Servicing Industry
• Hot Topics Impacting the Loan Servicing Industry