Melanie O. Baker

Melanie O. Baker is an associate in the Washington, D.C. Region office of Jackson Lewis (JL). Melanie also represents employers in Florida and works closely with the Jacksonville, FL office of JL. Her practice is a blend of complex and single plaintiff litigation, as well as preventive advice and counseling and conducting workplace investigations.

Melanie is no stranger to any forum where her clients find themselves faced with litigating plaintiffs’ claims, as she focuses on representing employers in cases filed in both federal and state courts, as well as equal opportunity employment matters pending before federal and state administrative agencies. Melanie defends claims involving discrimination, harassment, hostile work environment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, whistleblower claims, breach of contract issues, and other matters. She is involved in every step of the litigation process, from conducting initial fact investigations through preparing strong dispositive motions.

Despite her willingness to go head-to-head with an adversary, Melanie is equally passionate about building partnerships of trust and confidence with her clients. She understands that a lawyer-client relationship does not exist solely in the context of a litigation but develops by way of communication and transparency. She works closely with clients to provide legal support and counsel, partners with them to provide training in all areas of employment law, and advocates for proactive risk management and litigation avoidance. Her enthusiastic and thorough approach seeks to help clients feel at ease and confident with their decisions before, during, and after a dispute may arise.

Prior to joining JL, Melanie clerked for Judge Puig-Lugo of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for approximately two and a half years. Judge Puig-Lugo presided over a Civil Calendar, which contained a variety of civil matters, ranging from employment disputes to constitutional claims. She returned to her home state of Florida following her clerkship where she focused her first two years of practice in the area of complex commercial litigation before ultimately pivoting to build a career in employment law. While Melanie’s love for Florida is unwavering due to being raised and starting her family there, exciting and welcomed opportunities in the D.C. Region beckoned her family to return thereto in early 2025.

Melanie brings the above background and perspective to her work as an employment lawyer.  She strives to connect with clients in order to truly understand their story, their people, and their mission. Her experience as a whole, including practicing in different jurisdictions with a variety of different personalities and preferences, has taught her the value of analyzing a dispute from all angles and confirmed her interest in and aptitude for employment law. 

Published Works

• “Perfecting the Art of Defending Discrimination Claims Presented on a “Convincing Mosaic” Canvas” North Florida Chapter of the ACC (Second Quarter 2024) [Co-Author]

Speaking Engagements

• “Conducting Effective Workplace Investigations,” SHRM Jacksonville (August 16, 2024) (presenter)
• “2024 Employment Law Round-Up, And What To Look For In 2025,” SHRM Jacksonville (December 5, 2024) (presenter)