Attorney Profiles
Biography
Renée Melançon is a shareholder with Baron & Budd's appellate section. Since joining the firm in 2001, Renée has worked on a variety of toxic tort cases involving complex and novel legal issues. For example, Renée was a member of the team that in 2006 was awarded the prestigious "Trial Lawyer of the Year" award by Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, for her work on a case involving contaminated groundwater in Tucson, Arizona that injured more than 1,600 residents. The same year, she was named a "Rising Star of Texas Law" by Texas Super Lawyers and Texas Monthly magazine. Less than 5% of Texas lawyers under the age of 40 received this distinction.
Renée's devotion to providing assistance to those in need extends beyond her legal practice. She volunteered with Project Exodus, a program that helped Hurricane Katrina evacuees relocating to Dallas. She represented victims of the 9/11 attacks as a member of Trial Lawyers Care, Inc., a non-profit legal services organization established by the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Renée also participates in the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program, which provides pro bono legal assistance to low income Dallas residents.
After law school Renée served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Robert E. Jones of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon and the Honorable Martha Craig Daughtrey of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Before joining Baron & Budd, Renée lived in Asia and Europe, where she volunteered with nonprofit organizations focusing on women's rights and environmental issues in developing countries.
Education
University of Arizona (J.D., Magna Cum Laude, 1997; Order of the Coif; Arizona Law Review)
University of Arizona (M.S. 1997)
University of Florida (B.S., Cum Laude, 1992)
Bar & Court Admissions
Texas
Louisiana
Awards
"Trial Lawyer of the Year 2006," by Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
"Texas Rising Star 2006," by Texas Super Lawyers and Texas Monthly magazine
Professional Associations
American Bar Association
Dallas Bar Association
American Association for Justice
Texas Trial Lawyers Association
Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
Public Justice
Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association
Publications
Co-Author, "Explaining Sexual Harassment Judgments: Looking Beyond Gender of the Rater," 28(1) Law and Human Behavior 69 (2004).
Author, "Women and the Environment: Interview with Dr. Azizan Baharuddin," 54(2) Malaysia Naturalist (2000).
Co-author, "The Utility of the Reasonable Woman Legal Standard in Environment Sexual Harassment Cases: A Multimethod, Multistudy Examination," 5 Psychology Public Policy and Law 596 (1999).
Author, "Arizona's Insane Response to Insanity," 40 Arizona Law Review 287 (1998), cited in Clark v. Arizona, 126 S. Ct. 2709, 2719 n.6 (2006).
Reported Cases
Rando v. Anco Insul., Inc., 2007-2093 (La.App. 1 Cir. 5/2/08), 2008 WL 2068080 (unpublished).
Norris v. Crane Co., No. B196031, 2008 WL 638361 (Cal. App. 2 Dist. Mar 11, 2008) (unpublished).
Abram v. EPEC Oil Co., 2005-0626 (La. App. 4th Cir. 6/28/06) 936 So.2d 209, writ denied, 2006-2147 (La. 11/17/06), 942 So.2d 537.
Thomas v. A.P. Green Indus., 2005-1064 (La.App. 4 Cir. 5/31/06), 933 So.2d 843.
Newsrss
Asbestos Verdict Upheld by Louisiana Court of Appeal, Announces Baron & Budd
Substantial Verdict Upheld Against Mesothelioma Victim’s Former Employers
BATON ROUGE, LA – Just fifteen months after winning a substantial verdict against contractors Parsons Infrastructure & Technology Group, Inc. and Jacobs Constructors, Inc. on behalf of a mesothelioma victim, Baron & Budd, P.C. today announced the verdict has been affirmed by the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal. The former welder and pipefitter contracted mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure while he worked for the defendants. Read More
Asbestos Verdict Upheld by California Court of Appeals, Announces Baron & Budd
Substantial Verdict Upheld in Unique “Bystander Exposure” Case
LOS ANGELES – Eighteen months after winning a substantial wrongful death verdict in Los Angeles Superior Court against Stamford, Conn.-based Crane Co. (NYSE: CR) on behalf of the family of a U.S. Navy veteran who died from his exposure to asbestos, Baron & Budd, P.C. today announced the verdict has been affirmed by the California Court of Appeals. Read More
Renée Melançon Appointed to Amicus Curiae Committee of the American Association for Justice
Renée Melançon, an attorney with the law firm of Baron & Budd, P.C., has been appointed to the Amicus Curiae Committee of the American Association for Justice (AAJ). Melançon will serve a three-year term in this position beginning August 1. Renée Melançon is an attorney with the appellate section of Baron & Budd, P.C. Read More
