Melissa Harris, Of Counsel in KSF’s New Orleans office, practices securities and other complex class action litigation.
Prior to joining KSF, Ms. Harris worked at a large, well-respected regional law firm in New Orleans, where she handled defense of complex commercial litigation, government contracts matters, and government investigations in state and federal courts around the country, as well as before federal agencies, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Trade Commission, and United States Department of Justice. Ms. Harris also represented financial institutions and other companies in lawsuits under the federal False Claims Act and related state and local false claims laws. Ms. Harris has extensive experience with ESI and e-discovery, and has presented and published on this topic extensively.
Before moving to New Orleans, Ms. Harris clerked in federal court for four years in Hattiesburg, Mississippi for the Honorable M. Keith Starrett and the Honorable Michael T. Parker. A native New Yorker, Ms. Harris began her career at a large, prestigious defense firm in New York City where she handled complex commercial litigation, including antitrust, securities, and white collar criminal matters.
Ms. Harris graduated from Fordham Law School magna cum laude, in the top 2% of her class. Ms. Harris was a member of Fordham Law Review and the Order of the Coif, and received the Archibald R. Murray Public Service Award and the West Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement. Ms. Harris received her undergraduate degree from Vassar College cum laude, with a major in Classics and a minor in Religion.
Ms. Harris is admitted to practice in Louisiana and New York state courts, as well as in the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of New York, and the United States Court of Federal Claims. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Louisiana State Bar Association, and New Orleans Bar Association, and is currently serving as Vice-Chair of the State & Local Procurement Division of the ABA’s Public Contract Law Section.