Overview

MELISSA WRIGHT is a partner in the firm’s Los Angeles office, where she prosecutes complex securities fraud and consumer class actions on behalf of defrauded investors and consumers.

In 2026, Melissa received the California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) Award from the Daily Journal, California’s leading legal publication, recognizing her work as sole lead counsel — alongside partner Kara Wolke — in In re: Alibaba Group Ltd. Securities Litigation, No. 20-cv-09568 (S.D.N.Y.). There, she helped secure a historic $433.5 million settlement resolving investors’ claims that Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) violated the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 by allegedly misrepresenting its regulatory compliance and use of monopolistic business practices. That recovery is the largest securities class action settlement ever attained against a Chinese issuer and ranks among the fifty largest U.S. securities class action settlements of all time, as tracked by Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS).

Melissa was also one of the primary attorneys representing consumers in McNamara v. Wells Fargo & Co., No. 3:21-cv-01245 (S.D. Cal.), which resulted in a $33 million settlement. The litigation resolved allegations that Wells Fargo provided banking and payment-processing services that facilitated deceptive “free trial” and recurring-billing programs, enrolling consumers in unauthorized monthly charges. The case reflects Melissa’s commitment to holding even the largest financial institutions accountable on behalf of ordinary consumers.

Earlier in her career, Melissa played an integral role on the firm’s litigation team in Christine Asia Ltd. v. Jack Yun Ma, et al. (the first Alibaba matter), which resulted in a $250 million settlement, where she led discovery strategy and management for the firm. She has also contributed to other significant recoveries, including In re Yahoo! Inc. Securities Litigation ($80 million); In re Sesen Bio, Inc. Securities Litigation ($21 million); In re Flowers Foods, Inc. Securities Litigation ($21 million); In re Romeo Power Inc. Securities Litigation ($14.9 million); and In re Tenaris S.A. Securities Litigation ($9.5 million).

A skilled litigator across all phases of complex litigation, Melissa is known in particular for her command of the discovery process — from cross-border document review and deposition strategy to negotiating protocols governing confidentiality and electronically stored information — work that has been central to driving cases like these to landmark results.

In addition to her advocacy on behalf of aggrieved investors and consumers, Melissa maintains an active pro bono practice as a volunteer attorney with Kids In Need of Defense, where she works to safeguard the rights and well-being of immigrant and refugee children.

Melissa graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Boston University and received her J.D. from U.C. Davis School of Law, where she served as a board member of the Tax Law Society and externed for the California Board of Equalization’s Tax Appeals Assistance Program. She also earned her LL.M. in Taxation from NYU School of Law.