Attorney Profiles

Paul V. Melodia is a San Francisco native who obtained both his undergraduate and legal education at the University of California Berkeley. A 1964 graduate of Boalt Hall School of Law, Paul finished in the top 5% of his law school class and was inducted into the Order of the Coif.

Following three years of military service in the Army Judge Advocate General Corps he entered private practice. Paul is recognized as one of the deans of Northern California personal injury and wrongful death specialists, with a wealth of experience in every facet of personal injury work.

His reputation in the field of medical litigation (including medical malpractice, drug and device, and hospital based liability claims) is unsurpassed. A veteran of hundreds of trials and arbitrations, he was one of the pioneers in affixing liability on drug makers for injuries resulting from oral contraceptives, Dalkon Shield IUD's, swine flu vaccine, L-Tryptophan, and numerous other medical products. In the field of automobile crashworthiness and product liability, he was one of the first attorneys to successfully prosecute a fuel-fed fire claim against an American automobile manufacturer. In the area of general aviation, he has successfully tried airline crash cases to verdict and recently was involved in a multi-million dollar settlement. In February 2004 a Napa County jury awarded a client of Mr. Melodia's over $3,750,000 in a products case against Polaris Industries, a manufacturer of personal watercraft. This was one of the largest personal injury verdicts in Napa County history.

A member of numerous professional organizations and honor societies, Paul is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a Diplomate of the American Board of Trial Advocates, a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and has been listed among the Best Lawyers in America for more than a decade. He is a founding father of northern California's first American Inn of Court, a member of the Board of Directors of the Boalt Hall Alumni Association, and is presently serving his second term as President of Walkup, Melodia, Kelly, Wecht & Schoenberger.

Motor Vehicle Accidents
Truck Accidents
Aviation Accidents
Defective Automobiles
Fatal Drug Reactions
Brain Injury
Closed Head Injury
Brain Stem Injury