Melissa Damian Visconti

Melissa Visconti is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer who has appeared in state and federal courts across Florida and around the country. Ms. Visconti is Of Counsel to the Firm and focuses her practice in the areas of state and federal court appeals, complex litigation, and receiverships. Ms. Visconti has extensive experience in state and federal appeals courts, as well as in the areas of products liability, whistleblower and False Claims Act cases, securities, multidistrict litigation, and class action litigation. She is also experienced in criminal law, advising clients who are the subjects of or material witnesses in federal and state investigations.

Ms. Visconti is a graduate of Princeton University (B.A. 1990) and the University of Miami School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 1995), where she was an officer on the Moot Court Board and a recipient of the Order of the Coif. Ms. Visconti served as a law clerk for Judge Ursula Ungaro of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

During her nearly eleven years as an Assistant United States Attorney, Ms. Visconti investigated and prosecuted cases involving major crimes, immigration, international arms smuggling, and matters of national security. She conducted numerous jury trials in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida and successfully handled cases before the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. In recognition of her outstanding performance as a prosecutor, Ms. Visconti received the Attorney General’s Award for matters of national security and was named federal prosecutor of the year by the Miami Dade County Chiefs of Police.

Since leaving the U.S. Attorney's Office, Ms. Visconti has focused on civil litigation and appeals. She has handled appeals of multi-million dollar product liability verdicts and has numerous notable complex litigation matters in State and Federal Courts. Ms. Visconti routinely represents federal equity receivers and is frequently brought in by plaintiffs and defendants to handle complex issues arising in federal and state litigation. Ms. Visconti is lead counsel on behalf of Ariel Quiros in the highly publicized SEC Enforcement Action and numerous related state and federal actions involving the EB-5 Immigrant Visa Investor partnerships at Jay Peak, Vermont.

Ms. Visconti is actively engaged in Federal and State Bar organizations and focuses her efforts on educating lawyers regarding practice in Federal courts. Ms. Visconti is a member of the Florida Bar and is admitted to practice in the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third and Eleventh Circuits, and the U.S. District Courts for the Southern District of Florida and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and the Supreme Court of the United States.