Lin, Melissa

Arizona Trial Attorney
Ms. Lin has handled a wide variety of civil cases, including breach of contract, conversion, unjust enrichment, construction defect, corporate dissolution, copyright infringement, easement disputes, tax lien foreclosures, LLC incorporations, eminent domain, trespass, partition, interference with valid contractual relations or business expectancies, and unfair competition.  Ms. Lin attended and appeared at Lake Havasu City Council Meetings as City Attorney when necessary.  She also appeared and argued before the Mohave County Planning and Zoning Commission and a local school board.  She reviewed and modified fixed based operating leases for Lake Havasu City's airport.  During August 2004 through December 2004, she clerked for the Honorable Paul Tang in Pima County Superior Court, researching and writing decisions on Tucson City and Justice Court Appeals.  She is an honest, dedicated and energetic trial attorney and litigator. 

Ms. Lin's current practice includes the representation of individuals, contractors and businesses in tort and construction litigation, primarily in the areas of construction defects, complex litigation, general liability, personal injury, and product liability. 

Relevant Professional Activities, Background and Education
Ms. Lin was elected and serves as a 2008-2010 Young Lawyers Division (YLD) District 4 Representative for the State Bar of Arizona.  She was a member of the 2008 Maricopa County Holiday Party Committee for foster children and the 2009 Chair of the Maricopa County Holiday Party Committee.  She has been involved with the board of the Maricopa County Bar Association's (MCBA) Construction Law Section since 2008 and currently serves as the 2009-2010 vice-chair.  As a board member and vice-chair of the MCBA Construction Law Section she has assisted with, planned, and hosted several construction cle programs.  She also served on the board of the MCBA YLD in 2009 as part of the Domestic Violence Committee and as a liaison for the Arizona Asian American Bar Association (AAABA).  She has been involved with the Arizona Association of Defense Counsel (AADC), the Arizona affiliate of the Defense Research Institute, since 2007 and is the 2009-2010 vice president and board member of AADC YLD.  Her article, "A Recent Extrapolation Ruling in Arizona Construction Defect Cases and Its Implications for the Defense of Extrapolation in Construction Defect Cases" was published in the November 2007 AADC E-Common Defense newsletter.   She is a member of the Defense Research Institute (DRI) and a vice marketing west coast regional co-chair of the 2010 DRI Sharing Success Seminar for Women. She is a member of the Arizona Women's Law Association (AWLA) and AAABA. She is also a 2009-2010 member of the Thurgood Marshall Inn of Court

Prior to moving to Phoenix, Ms. Lin received the 2006 Pro Bono Service Award from Community Legal Services in Mohave County. Ms. Lin is the 2009-2010 vice president of membership, and the 2008-2009 secretary and board member of the Women's Metropolitan Arts Council (WoMAC) of the Phoenix Art Museum.  She is a volunteer for the Wills for Heroes program and the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education. 

Ms. Lin received her law degree from the University of Arizona College of Law in 2004.  She was a Managing Editor for the Arizona Journal of International & Comparative Law, executive board member for the Student Bar Association, and president of the Asian American Law Student Association. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology with a minor in Spanish from the University of Arizona in 2001.  She has been a registered patent agent with the US Patent and Trademark Office since 2004.  She was admitted to the Arizona Bar in 2005. 

While in law school, Ms. Lin worked as a part time law clerk, writing and researching responses to the USPTO Actions for Inventors.  She also researched and helped prepare New York State trademark applications and performed USPTO, state patent searches and international patent searches.   Ms. Lin also externed with District Court Magistrate Charles Pyle in Pima County and the Los Angeles Public Defender's Office. After law school, she clerked for the Honorable Paul Tang in Pima County Superior Court.