Melanie A. McDonald Of Counsel

Melanie A. McDonald brings a wealth of experience to SDV having represented, exclusively, policyholders on insurance recovery matters for over 30 years. Melanie has successfully represented clients in the recovery of insurance policy proceeds and related contractual indemnity. She has prosecuted extra contractual claims of bad faith and violations of state insurance statutes.

Melanie’s experience includes a wide variety of insurance policies, both first party and third party. Melanie also gained invaluable insurance experience working for eight years as a licensed insurance broker, placing Directors & Officers Liability, Commercial Crime, Fiduciary Liability and Employment Practices Liability policies and advising clients on their claims.

Melanie is a skilled litigator and has extensive experience with complex commercial litigation, including multi-party environmental disputes, at the trial and appellate levels, in state and federal courts, and in all forms of alternative dispute resolutions. She is very detail-oriented and persistent, and she quite often turns up the “needle in the haystack.”

Outside of the office, in her spare time, Melanie enjoys spending time with her two adult children, traveling, practicing yoga, hiking, cycling, skiing, scuba diving, reading, and working jigsaw puzzles. A Houston native, Melanie practiced in Texas for more than 30 years. She currently resides in Oceanside, CA.