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Douglas C Melcher

Litigation Attorney at Washington, DC

5.0   9 reviews
  • Licensed for 23 years
    State DC
    Acquired 2000
    Status
    Good Standing No misconduct found

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

About Douglas

Learn Douglas’s areas of practice.

1
Practice area
  1. Litigation
    100%
    Handling all phases of civil litigation, administrative litigation, and arbitration, including pre-litigation demands and negotiations, pleadings, motions, discovery, mediation, settlement, trial preparation, trial, appeal, and post-judgment relief.

Doug Melcher is a licensed attorney who has more than fifteen years of experience in the private practice of law. He focuses his practice on advising and representing individuals, small businesses, and non-profits in matters involving civil litigation in Washington, DC.

Doug advises and represents clients in a wide range of matters, including disputes concerning business relationships, real estate, and commercial transactions involving individuals, partnerships, limited liability companies, for-profit and non-profit corporations, and citizens associations. He represents clients in trial court proceedings, appeals, administrative hearings, mediation, and arbitration.

Doug has written extensively about the laws of the District of Columbia, including for his blog, currently known as D.C. Law Blog. He is also the author of Tort Claims and Defenses in the District of Columbia, which is a handbook for lawyers who need detailed technical information about the laws of the District of Columbia applicable to civil claims for assault, battery, false imprisonment / false arrest, conversion, trespass to chattel, trespass to realty, negligence (including employer negligence, legal malpractice, medical malpractice, motor vehicle negligence, premises liability, and other cases), strict liability for defective products, defamation (libel and slander), injurious falsehood, invasion of privacy, fraudulent misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, malicious prosecution, abuse of process, spoliation of evidence, loss of consortium, and other torts as well as a wide range of defenses.

Doug earned his law degree, with high honors, from The George Washington University Law School where he served as a member and editor of The George Washington Law Review. Prior to attending law school, he earned a bachelor of science degree from Syracuse University, and a master of science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Doug is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and, as such, is authorized to represent individuals and entities in proceedings before the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, and agencies of the District of Columbia such as the District of Columbia Office of Administrative Hearings. He is also authorized to represent individuals and entities in various federal courts, including the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Doug also has been admitted pro hac vice to litigate individual cases in courts throughout the country.

Doug is proficient in Spanish and has lived in Guatemala and Peru. He currently reside in the District of Columbia.

Contact Douglas

Similar lawyers nearby

Douglas C. Melcher, Attorney-at-Law
5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Suite 440
Washington, DC, 20015

Reviews

5.0 / 5.0
  9 customer reviews
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Posted by anonymous | October 16, 2021
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
An Outstanding Attorney
Mr. Melcher is a highly skilled and knowledgeable attorney, handling our case with the utmost professionalism and efficiency. He is not only communicative but responsive, which is an exceptional quality to have. We were completely confident in his abilities to bring the desired outcome to our case and know he worked tirelessly to achieve those results. He is a phenomenal attorney and would definitely recommend him.
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Posted by Bob | October 11, 2021
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Great legal services!
Doug Melcher's fees and billing practices are very reasonable. He worked with me to fully understand and develop my case. He presented my claim convincingly and negotiated a fair settlement. Most remarkably, he followed up to make sure the terms of the settlement agreement were honored. If I ever have any more legal issues, I'll call Doug!
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Posted by Ellen | May 10, 2021
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Superb Attorney
Mr. Melcher assisted me through the long, winding road of a complicated civil case against a person who was especially difficult due to continuous lack of response. Doug always kept his eye on the ball and was in this entirely ethical quest for the return of cherished property for the long haul. He's very smart, honorable, and imaginative in predicting possible bumps in the road. His perseverance and skills helped me to achieve my goal. I don't think many people could have succeeded in this arduous slog. I'll always be grateful and admire him immensely.
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Posted by Anita | May 10, 2021
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Meticulous and Knowledgeable
My trust attorney and I hired Douglas C. Melcher to help with nettlesome partition case. He quickly demonstrated deep knowledge of case law regarding property sales and a grasp of the issues before us. He was a brilliant strategist who looked at the overall picture and gave an accurate and frank assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of my case. I very much appreciated his attention to detail and his diligence in assuring the defendants and the trustee charged with selling the property responded to his filings and messages in a timely manner. The case could have dragged on for months, especially in the times of the pandemic, but was brought to a highly satisfactory conclusion because of his exemplary work.
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Posted by Barbara | December 6, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Wonderful attorney
Doug helped our nonprofit citizens association challenge a grandfathered commercial establishment in a residential zone. He unearthed substantial damning information which the DC Alcoholic Beverage Control acted on. Doug was thorough and easy to work with. I highly recommend him.
Posted by anonymous | September 12, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Consumer Advocacy
Doug has worked on multiple cases for me and obtained positive results on all of them. He's been wonderful to work with and is exceptionally communicative. I can confidently recommend him to anyone seeking legal advice/representation. Would happily hire Doug again in the future should the circumstance arise.
Posted by Will | December 3, 2018
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
A difficult case, a caring attorney
Doug represented me in a water damage case and truly went above and beyond. He was available at all hours of the day, explained the details of my case with great care, and above all else had my best interests in mind 100%. He is a fantastic lawyer who knows the law inside and out and is exceedingly fair. I really cannot recommend his services highly enough.
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Posted by Salim | December 18, 2017
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Business Contract Negotiation
Douglas is highly professional, knowledgeable, and honest lawyer. He was really efficient in resolving the issue that I had regarding my business contract. He was always quick to respond to any concerns, great at keeping me posted ,and letting me know what to expect and what are my options. I strongly recommend his services.
Posted by anonymous | September 26, 2016
This review is from a potential client who consulted with this attorney.
| Consulted Attorney
Quick Response, Listened Well, Good Advice
He is understanding and knowledgeable. Explained well my options and was realistic regarding the expense involved depending on the direction I might take my case. Not high pressure, open about his expectations should I hire him and gave good advice on how to avoid a bad lawyer should I go elsewhere. He was very helpful and I'd recommend him to anyone.
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Cost

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Contact for Details

Resume

AVVO RATING 10.0 (Superb)

Education

  • The George Washington University Law School
  • JD - Juris Doctor
  • 1999
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • MS - Master of Science
  • 1996
  • Syracuse University
  • BS - Bachelor of Science
  • 1993

Legal Cases

  • Business Loan Dispute Case
  • Obtained Dismissal With Prejudice for Defendants
  • Consumer Protection Cases (more than two dozen)
  • Obtained Settlements for Plaintiffs
  • Jail Death Case
  • Obtained Seven-Figure Settlement for Plaintiff
View all legal cases

Associations

  • District of Columbia Bar
  • Member
  • N/A
  • Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C.
  • Member
  • N/A

Languages Spoken

  • English
  • Spanish

Honors and Awards

  • Client Champion Award
  • Martindale-Hubbell
  • 2021
  • Peer Reviewed
  • Martindale-Hubbell
  • 2017

Publications

  • Law Journal
  • Article / CommLaw Conspectus
  • 2000
  • Law Journal
  • Note / The George Washington Law Review
  • 1998
  • Law Journal
  • Case Note / The George Washington Law Review
  • 1998
View all publications

Attorney endorsements

Received (5)
Given (8)
Endorse Douglas
Litigation Attorney | Oct 12
Relationship: Worked together on matter
"I endorse this lawyer. My estate planning client had a need for an experienced litigator. Doug and I worked together over a two year period. He really did a great job and he achieved a positive result for my client who was very happy with his work. I highly recommend him to anyone with a general litigation need."
Litigation Attorney | Jul 13
Relationship: Worked together on matter
"Doug is a brilliant thinker, writer, and lawyer. I have had the opportunity to work with him, and he has a level-headed and pragmatic approach, combined with excellence in his work. I highly recommend Doug."
Appeals Attorney | Jul 06
Relationship: Worked together on matter
"I endorse this lawyer. I have worked with Doug in connection with 2 separate matters. I have found him to extremely knowledgeable with strong legal instincts. Doug works incredibly hard on behalf of his clients and is easy to work with. He is a highly skilled advocate."
Litigation Attorney | Jun 28
Relationship: Worked together on matter
"A talented lawyer who deeply cares about his clients and getting them the best possible result."
Litigation Attorney | Mar 09
Relationship: Worked together on matter
"Doug is an extremely intelligent attorney who will find arguments others won't. He also literally wrote the book on tort claims and damages in the District of Columbia. I would recommend his services to anyone looking for a competent attorney for a litigation matter in D.C. and surrounding jurisdictions."
Estate planning
Litigation
Personal injury
Personal injury
Personal injury
Personal injury
Personal injury

Avvo Contributions

This attorney hasn't created any legal answers in Q&A or legal guides recently on Avvo.

Washington Litigation Lawyer Douglas C Melcher
Douglas C Melcher
Litigation Attorney
Washington, DC
Licensed for 23 years