Martin Melamed

I was born and raised in New York City. I worked my way through the New York City University system and received scholarships to attend the University of Miami Law School from which I graduated in 1976.

I began my career as a trial attorney but soon assumed the duties of a managing attorney at Roura & Melamed. Through my guidance, the firm became one of the leading firms in New York City dedicated to serving Hispanic clients. Roura & Melamed successfully expanded into the immigration field, teaming with Robert J. Shannon to provide quality representation to primarily Hispanic immigrants.

I have been honored by the Congress on Racial Equality and is a member of the American Trial Lawyers' Association, the New York County Lawyers' Association and the New York State Bar Association.  I am also a member of the New York Bar Association and of the Federal Court of New York.

Roura & Melamed is a full service firm, specializing in immigration, litigation, medical malpractice, products liability, real estate and criminal matters.  Begun in 1980, is dedicated to serving the under-represented Hispanic community. From its inception, the firm was staffed with Spanish speaking personnel, including Walter Roura, whose cultural background is Catalan and Puerto Rican.

Roura & Melamed championed the rights of Hispanics who often suffered serious and permanent injuries working in the construction industry where Hispanics were frequently given the most dangerous jobs to perform. This representation continues today, with many of the firm's clients being South American, Central American and Island Hispanic workers injured while removing asbestos, working as laborers or performing demolition throughout the City. The children of minorities have also been of special interest to the firm. Roura & Melamed represented the victims of lead poisoning, abuse in the foster care system and general neglect and continues to view our children as our most precious resource.

While continuing to serve adult and child personal injury victims, Roura & Melamed expanded to provide greater services to Hispanics and others.  The firm has become one of the largest immigration firms in New York, representing sports personalities and business people seeking work visas, those seeking asylum in this country and immigrants from all over the world.  Of course, the primry focushas continued to be on immigrants from many of the Latin countries. 

Roura & Melamed is also staffed with litigation attorneys who have vast experience in criminal matters.  This has led to the representation of clients in criminal courts not only in the five borroughs of New York City, but in the outlying counties of the Metropolitan area as well.

Throughout its existence, Roura & Melamed has sought to create a comfortable feeling for clients. Having personal knowledge of nuestra cultura, the firm has adhered to its motto first adopted in 1980: "Representación Legal con Atención Personal".