Melvin Wright Email & Phone Number

I am licensed to practice law in Maryland and Ohio, and I have twenty-eight years of experience as a practicing attorney. My experience includes drafting administrative law decisions for multiple appellate boards, where I am routinely assigned difficult and complex cases. I have drafted published decisions on issues of national importance. In addition, I have presided over individual hearings, reviewed draft decisions, and issued final determinations as an acting law judge. My government work has recently focused on immigration law, including visa petitions, asylum, cancellation of removal, and complex issues of state and federal criminal and family law that touch on immigration matters. I have also worked in the area of veterans law, including disability compensation, veteran status/character of discharge, medical malpractice, domestic relations, and spouse/child support. My work has required extensive research in state and federal law and court precedents, legislative histories, international law and country conditions, and military records and history. I have successfully navigated research in both electronic databases and traditional library collections. Prior to government service, I managed by own law practice in Maryland. This was a solo practice where I handled all areas of practice, interviewing and caring for clients, negotiating with opposing counsel, researching and drafting legal documents, and making appearances in both state and federal courts. My general practice included small business matters, bankruptcy, landlord-tenant, labor, criminal, and disability benefits.In recent years, my pro-bono work has included chairing steering and operations committees to develop a non-profit childcare facility. I directed a multi-disciplinary team that researched childcare operations and developed a business plan for the facility. The steering committee work included legal research to obtain state licensure, market research, construction planning, preparing financial projections, obtaining financing for the project, interviewing and hiring contractors, and monitoring construction of the facility. Work on the operations committee included refining the business plan, budgeting, staff recruitment, interviews and hiring, curriculum preparation, marketing, working with contractors and local government to obtain building permits and pass inspections, and securing operating permits and licenses from multiple local and state agencies.

• Attorney Adviser

  U. S. Government

  Mar 1995 - Present

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  American University Washington College Of Law

  Law