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. In both 2006 and 2009, Renée was named a "Rising Star of Texas Law" by Texas Super Lawyers and Texas Monthly magazine (Law and Politics magazine, Key Professional Media). 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
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
Awards
2006 Trial Lawyer of the Year (Trial Lawyers for Public Justice)
Texas Rising Star (Law & Politics, Key Professional Media, 2006, 2009)
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
General Motors Corp. v. Grenier, No. 453,2007, 578,2007, ___ A.2d ___, 2009 WL 2581722 (Del. Supr. Aug. 24, 2009).
Rando v. Anco Insulations, Inc., 2008-C-1163, 1169 (La. 5/22/09), 16 So.3d 1065, affirming 2007-2093 (La.App. 1 Cir. 5/2/08), 2008 WL 2068080 (unpublished).
Spillman v. Anco Insul., 2007-0763 (La.App. 1 Cir. 9/9/08), 994 So.2d 132, writ denied, 2008-2418 (La. 9/25/09), ___ So.3d ___, 2009 WL 3329492.
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
Baron & Budd’s Greatest Hits of the Decade
As the first decade of the new millennium draws to a close and we reflect on the past ten years, Baron & Budd would like to share with you what we consider some of our law firm’s major accomplishments—our “Greatest Hits” of the decade, if you will. So, in the spirit of Casey Kasem, here is our countdown of the decade. We wish all of you happy holidays and a prosperous new year—and new decade—to come. Read More
Baron & Budd Wins Rulings that LWCA Does Not Bar Claims for Gradual Hearing Loss
MONROE, LA (November 11, 2009) Baron & Budd, P.C. attorneys recently won rulings that workers’ claims against their employers for gradual hearing loss are not barred by Louisiana’s Workers’ Compensation Act (LWCA). The courts ruled that, while hearing loss from a single traumatic event is a covered “accident” under the LWCA, gradual hearing loss caused by prolonged exposure to occupational noise exposure is not covered by the LWCA. The courts concluded that workers who suffer from gradual noise-induced hearing loss can bring claims against their employers for their hearing loss. Read More
Baron & Budd, P.C. Congratulates Its “Super Lawyers” and “Rising Stars”
November 5, 2009 (DALLAS, Tex.) When the Texas Edition of Law & Politics’ Super Lawyers was published this fall, recognizing the top 5 percent of Texas attorneys, Baron & Budd, P.C. was honored to have five of its attorneys included: Russell W. Budd, Brent Rosenthal, Scott Summy, Bruce Steckler and Jan Soifer. Two of the law firm’s attorneys were recognized by Law & Politics in its 2009 Rising Stars list: Denyse Clancy and Renée Melançon Read More
