Miami Law Alumna to Serve as Appeal Judge for Gulf Coast Claims

Miami Law alumna Melvia B. Green, JD '78, was named by the appointing authority for the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) as one of 25 legal experts who will serve as appeals judges, issuing rulings on GCCF appeal decisions. Green is a former judge of the 3rd District Court of Appeal of Florida (DCA). Former Miami Law adjunct faculty member Judge Gerald T. Wetherington was also named as an appeals judge.

By UM News 06-13-2011

Green was the first black woman appointed to the 3rd DCA. She also served as a Dade County judge and an Eleventh Circuit Court judge, with a combined 21 years of judicial service. Upon her retirement from the court, she was awarded the 2008 Hon. Alan P. Schwartz Judicial Excellence Award given by the Miami-Dade County Bar Association.

Prior to her judicial career, Green was a commercial and securities litigator with the law firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius. She represented corporate clients in complex litigation cases in both court and arbitration proceedings. She also served as an Assistant U. S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida where she represented various federal agencies in civil proceedings. Finally, she was in-house counsel to the former Florida Power Corporation where she drafted and reviewed contracts, provided legal advice to various business units and managed litigation of outside counsel.