Melvin N.A. Avanzado

Of Counsel

Melvin Avanzado is Of Counsel to Leech Tishman and a member of the Entertainment & Sports Industry Group and Intellectual Property Practice Group.

Mel is an accomplished trial lawyer with over 25 years of experience. Mel’s practice includes entertainment, sports, media and intellectual property litigation, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal court litigation. Mel also has extensive experience in employment cases, real estate disputes and other complex business disputes and has represented clients as outside general counsel, handling issues ranging from employment matters and litigation to real estate and other business transactions.

Mel has represented clients in many industries in both litigation and non-litigation matters. Among Mel’s most interesting engagements:

  • Served as arbitration counsel to the Los Angeles Dodgers and represented an executive of the Texas Rangers Baseball Club in disciplinary proceedings before the Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball
  • Represented Shanna Moakler against claims of “religious discrimination” brought by Carrie Prejean against the Miss California and Miss Universe pageant officials (including former President Donald J. Trump)
  • Defended CBS and “reality television” producer, Mark Burnett, against claims made by participants in the series, Survivor
  • Represented Isuzu Motors Limited in its libel claim against the publisher of Consumer Reports magazine
  • Represented the Academy Award-winning producer of the motion picture, Crash, in litigation over a failed production partnership and the profits from this Oscar-winning motion picture.
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Due to the nature of his practice, Mel has substantial experience in handling cases that are subject to intense media scrutiny. Thus, Mel is in a position to advise clients about media coverage of pending litigation, and in particular how to communicate with the media concerning litigation events. At the 2010 Convention of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), Mel spoke on the panel “From O.J. Simpson to Bernie Madoff: Handling High Profile Cases” which included the Hon. Lance Ito and the Hon. Denny Chin (the only sitting Asian American judge in the U.S Court of Appeals), focusing on how lawyers and the bench interact with the media in high profile cases.

Mel is actively involved in various bar associations and activities as well as the Asian-American and Filipino-American community. Mel served as the President of the Asian/Pacific Bar of California, one of the oldest statewide Asian-American bar associations. Mel was a long time member of the Board of Governors of the Philippine American Bar Association (PABA) and was President and CEO of the PABA Foundation, the non-profit arm of PABA. Mel testified at the August 25, 2010 confirmation hearing of the then-nominee for Chief Justice of California, the Honorable Tani Cantil-Sakauye, before the Commission on Judicial Appointments. In 2008, Mel received the Advocate Leader of the Year from the Filipino American Service Group, Inc., a leading service organization of the Filipino-American community in Los Angeles.

Academics
J.D., cum laude, Notre Dame Law School
B.S. in Microbiology, University of California, Los Angeles

Admissions
California
US. Supreme Court
U.S. District Court, Central District of California
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
U.S. District Court, Colorado

Experience
The Avanzado Law Firm
Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro LLP
White O’Connor Curry & Avanzado LLP
Christensen, White, Miller, Fink, Glaser & Shapiro LLP (fka Christensen, White, Miller, Fink & Jacobs)
Latham & Watkins

Professional Memberships
Apl.de.Ap Foundation International (Member, Executive Committee)
Asian Business Association (Former Member, Board of Directors)
California Asian Pacific American Bar Association (Former President)
Los Angeles County Bar Association (Former Member, Judicial Appointments Committee; Former Member, Diversity Committee)
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (Former Member, National Convention Host Committee)
Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference (Former Lawyer Representative)
Philippine American Bar Association (Former Member, Board of Governors)
Philippine American Bar Association Foundation (Former President and CEO)
UCLA Alumni Association (Former General Counsel)

Professional Accolades

Martindale-Hubbell

Martindale Hubbell AV Peer Review Rating

Super Lawyers

Southern California Super Lawyers Magazine, Super Lawyer, Entertainment & Sports
Southern California Super Lawyers Magazine, Super Lawyer, Intellectual Property Litigation
Southern California Super Lawyers Magazine, Super Lawyer, Business Litigation

Other Accolades

Filipino American Service Group, Inc., “Advocate Leader of the Year”