Melody E. Akhavan is an associate in the Litigation Department of Weil’s New York office. Her practice focuses on the defense of product liability actions, mass tort matters, class actions, and other complex litigation. Ms. Akhavan is one of the members of the Weil team currently engaged in the multi-district federal litigation MDL 2179, In re: Oil Spill by the Oil Rig "Deepwater Horizon" in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20, 2010.
Ms. Akhavan is also actively involved in pro bono work at the firm. She was recently part of a team representing formerly homeless families and individuals in a housing class action litigation, and is currently part of two different teams serving as counsel for amicus curiae in wrongful conviction cases. Ms. Akhavan also volunteers with the Legal Outreach Program and New York City’s Justice Resource Center, working with a Mock Trial team at Edward R. Murrow High School.
Additionally, Ms. Akhavan is a regular contributor to the Product Liability Monitor, a blog that discusses key trends, developments, and events in product liability and mass tort law. She has written on a variety of topics, with a focus on class certification issues and class action settlements.
Ms. Akhavan received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2011, where she served as the Submissions Review Editor of the Virginia Journal of International Law. While in law school, she participated in the Appellate Litigation Clinic and the Trial Advocacy College. Ms. Akhavan received her B.A., with distinction, from the University of Virginia in 2005, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.