Meet The Team | Newsome Melton

At Newsome Melton, we don't just try cases, we get answers. With a team of the absolute top lawyers on the east coast, you can be sure that your case gets the attention it deserves.

C. Richard Newsome, Esq.

Rich Newsome is the senior partner of the Newsome Melton law firm and represents families and individuals who have experienced catastrophic injuries caused by defective products. Rich is passionate about helping his clients and ultimately making products safer as the result of product liability litigation.

Frank Melton

ATTORNEY Frank Melton has earned a national reputation for professional integrity, unwavering commitment, and great compassion. Frank has successfully litigated numerous catastrophic tire defects and complicated products liability cases all over the United States to help make the public aware of dangerous situations and force those who are responsible to fix them.

Alex Gillen

ATTORNEY Alex Gillen has a passion to help people who have been hurt by bad products or bad acts of others. His ultimate satisfaction comes when helping people get their lives back together, while his true disdain is when people have their lives torn apart because someone made a “business decision.” Alex’s drive comes by picturing himself or family in the shoes of his clients. He can then feel the confusion and powerlessness they feel as they try to rebuild their lives.

Maegen Peek Luka

ATTORNEY Maegen Peek Luka practices law because she is driven by a desire for justice. When lives are torn apart, Ms. Luka takes great pride in compassionately helping families and individuals try to put the pieces back together while seeking legal redress against companies who put financial gain over the safety or security of human lives. Ms. Luka is unafraid to tackle large, complex cases and legal issues. She applies her focus and determination to every case on which she works. Ms. Luka performed her undergraduate

Will Ourand, Esq.

ATTORNEY Will Ourand graduated magna cum laude from the Florida State University College of Law. While there, he served for two years on the Editorial Board of the Law Review and as a research assistant for Professor Dan Markel. In addition, he also served as a Legislative Intern for the Florida House of Representatives, conducting legal research and helping to draft legislation.

Milette Webber

ATTORNEY Milette Webber is a native Central Floridian, having graduated from Trinity Preparatory School and Rollins College before leaving the state to attend law school at the University of Memphis. Since graduating from law school in 1998, Milette has focused her practice in the areas of products liability, personal injury, negligence, and toxic tort.

Nicholas S. Gurney, Esq.

TRIAL ATTORNEY Nicholas Gurney has made it his mission to represent real people in their fight against powerful corporations and massive insurance companies. In his career, Nicholas has secured favorable jury verdicts in both civil and criminal trials, including jury verdicts of more than $1 million in both Collier and Palm Beach Counties. His passion for justice extends outside the office where Nicholas serves as an Adjunct Professor of Legal Studies, teaching the next generation of attorneys at the University of Central Flor

Jesse Stern

ATTORNEY Jesse Stern spent his formative educational years locally in the Orlando area. Jesse graduated from Rollins College magna cum laude receiving a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science. Jesse then graduated from Barry University School magna cum laude finishing in the top 7% of his graduating class while serving as a research assistant and the Business Editor of Law Review. After graduating law school, Jesse moved to Jacksonville, Florida where he focused his practice in the areas person

Michele L. Reed

ATTORNEY Michele L. Reed is a nurse attorney with extensive experience in medical malpractice and class action litigation. She has an active license in Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Michele is a graduate of Widener Law School in Wilmington, Delaware. She received her MSN from Immaculata University in Pennsylvania and graduated magna cum laude with her BSN from LaSalle University in Philadelphia, PA. She maintains an active Florida RN license.

Joni Hautamaki

PARALEGAL As intake manager at Newsome Melton, Joni Hautamaki is passionate about helping people with catastrophic injury cases seek justice. After obtaining her B.A. in Legal Studies with a Political Science minor from the University of Central Florida, Joni landed an internship as a paralegal with a major Florida defense firm.

Lara L. Sucharski

PARALEGAL As a litigation paralegal at Newsome Melton, Lara is an advocate for people who otherwise wouldn’t have a voice against big corporations. Lara’s interest in understanding human behavior is what led her to study psychology at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida.

Laurie A. Swinehart

PARALEGAL Laurie Swinehart brings an extensive amount of experience to Newsome Melton. She has more than 18 years of paralegal experience and has been a part of our firm for over 11 years.

OVER $500,000,000 recovered

Newsome Melton has recovered over half a billion dollars for their clients.