Melissa K. Force Email & Phone Number

Las Cruces, New Mexico Area

I provide legal advice to the New Mexico Spaceport Authority on a broad range of complex issues requiring compliance with state and federal aerospace and environmental regulations, policies and law. I am a key voice in strategic decision-making within the agency and perform many other functions essential to the successful development and performance of the spaceport, including drafting and negotiating lease, service, RFPs, MOUs, MOAs and other agreements; regulating and monitoring the agency’s intellectual property, FAA licensing, Inspection of Public Records Act and Open Meetings Act compliance; speaking at industry events, presenting academic papers and participating in and moderating professional panels in national and international fora; authoring and lobbying for legislation, such as the 2018 statute enabling key spaceport customer proprietary information to remain privileged from public records requests; and representing the agency in meetings before the Board of Directors, the Spaceport America Regional Spaceport District Board, the New Mexico Finance Authority and the State Legislature.

Los Angeles, California

Private industry demand following my work at the Office of Space Commerce drove me to establish a consulting company through which I advised companies on a variety of projects and produced strategic analysis, opinion letters and position papers to obtain investment or grants; drafted, modified and negotiated agreements on a wide variety of legal and business issues; and undertook corporate generalist responsibilities, including business formation, negotiating leases, NDAs, sale agreements and licensing applications.

Los Angeles, California

I established an original curriculum and syllabus and custom selected materials to provide law students an understanding of all aspects of international and domestic aerospace law and taught a class, “Private and Public International Aviation and Space Law.”

Los Angeles

I designed a syllabus formulated for effective online instruction, authored original materials and custom-selected reference materials to provide conceptual understanding of the current and historical development of space law for my courses on “International Law and Politics of Outer Space” and “Space Systems Law and Policy.”

Washington Dc

In completion of degree requirements for Adv. LLM in international air and space law, I analyzed proprietary reports and studies to provide legal opinions and support to assist private industry participation in government space, PNT and remote sensing business, participated in meetings developing national space transportation policy and global navigation satellite systems and responded to inquiries on matters of law, procedure, and policy from the White House, Congress and Federal agencies.

St. Louis, Mo

As Vice President and Associate General Counsel, I was the principal executive responsible for international and domestic claims and was responsible for dispute resolution throughout the country and abroad. I was the key decision-maker representing the company in every federal and state trial, mediation, arbitration and settlement conference for all major claims, crafting dispositive trial motions, settlement agreements and agreed statements of decision. I negotiated, drafted and reviewed contracts with management and legal representatives of other firms, institutions and governmental agencies.

Los Angeles, Ca

As an AV rated litigation partner, I tried jury cases to verdict, obtaining defense verdicts and settlements in products liability, general negligence, environmental, construction, toxic tort and commercial litigation, including a defense verdict in Los Angeles jury trial for European auto manufacturer and its U.S. distributor; defense verdicts in Reno, NV and Orange County, CA excess coverage general negligence cases; and three jury trials in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Santa Ana resulting in settlements below final offer.

Baltimore, Maryland Area

I took expert depositions, developed defense strategy and first chaired jury trials for general business, environmental and commercial litigation, including numerous “mini-trials” of toxic tort actions.

Richmond, Va And Baltimore, Md

I took depositions, prepared trial briefs and second-chaired trials for complex environmental litigation, culminating in a 9-month jury trial representing a Fortune-500 company in a consolidated asbestos case.

Master Of Laws - Llm, International Air And Space Law

Bachelor'S Degree, Chemical Engineering

Doctor Of Law - Jd, Law

Activities and Societies: Editori, Missouri Law Review