Melanie Carter is a skilled litigator with a multifaceted practice in the areas of complex civil litigation, class action defense, mass torts, product liability, and environmental litigation. Melanie counsels Fortune 500 companies, including national and global consumer and retail brands in the fashion industry, in mitigating issues related to sustainability, and greenwashing and climate change claims. She engages in creative problem solving with clients to achieve favorable outcomes in litigation, trial, and settlement negotiations, and helps clients mitigate risk before litigation arises. As a trusted advisor, Melanie’s clients turn to her for counsel across a wide variety of business and legal issues because of her broad-based and holistic approach and her knowledge gleaned from years of experience. She works tirelessly to help the brands she works with navigate challenges in today’s marketplace. Melanie has been recognized from 2023–2025 as “Ones to Watch, Corporate Law and Product Liability – Defendants” by Best Lawyers in America©.

Melanie began her legal career as a federal law clerk to the Honorable Joel H. Slomsky and also served as a judicial intern to the Honorable J. Curtis Joyner both of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. And most recently, she served a three-year term on the Third Circuit Lawyers Advisory Committee.

Prior to law school, Melanie worked in public education through Teach For America, through which she taught students in New Orleans, and managed and trained teachers in Philadelphia and Camden. Melanie is currently a member of the Board of Trustees for KIPP Administrative Services Corporation, the management organization for KIPP Philadelphia Schools.

Melanie serves as the firm’s Hiring Partner for the Philadelphia office, where she chairs the Attorney Recruiting and Retention Committee, and has been actively involved in the firm’s recruiting processes and top-ranked summer program since 2014. She is also a member of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee.