Melonie Bueno maintains a complex practice specializing in catastrophic personal injury, automobile negligence, coverage litigation, bad faith and claims administration defense. She handles cases from presuit through trial, and has litigated throughout various state and federal courts in Florida. Melonie is recognized as an “AV” rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell and frequently speaks on topics related to bad faith and claims handling.

Prior to joining the firm, Melonie served as a judicial intern to Justice Harry Lee Anstead at the Florida Supreme Court. She graduated cum laude from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Business Administration, focusing on Business Law and Business Management & Organization. She later earned her Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University School of Law, graduating cum laude and ranking in the top 10% of her class. During her time at St. Thomas, she served on the Executive Board of the St. Thomas Law Review and was a member of the Moot Court Board.

• Automobile and Motorized Vehicles
• Bad Faith and Claims Handling Assistance
• Insurance Coverage
• Presuit Settlement Assistance

Education

• St. Thomas University College of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2007)

  Honors: Best in Class Awards: Torts I, Civil Procedure II, Advanced Legal Research & Writing, Appellate Advocacy, Criminal Procedure I, Florida Constitutional Law, Legal Thought; St. Thomas Law Review, Member Senior Articles Editor; St. Thomas Moot Court Board

• University of Miami (B.B.A., cum laude, 2004)

  Honors: President’s Honor Roll, Dean’s Honor Roll; Provost’s Honor Roll

• State of Florida 2007
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida 2009
• U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida 2012

• Kubicki Draper Pre-Suit Practice Group, Co-Chair
• Florida Bar Association
• Palm Beach County Bar Association
• National Association for Professional Women

• Certified Continuing Education Instructor, State of Florida

• Rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell
• Received a “Distinguished Lawyer Designation”, by The Expert Network (2016)
• Selected as “Top Lawyers of South Florida”, by The Daily Business Review (2015, 2016)
• Selected as “Top Rated Lawyer in Personal Injury Law”, by The American Lawyer & Corporate Counsel Magazine (2013, 2015)

• Spanish

• “Bad Faith Prevention: Negotiating Low Limit Single and Multiple Claims,” GM Financial, 2026
• “Negotiating Low Limits Single & Multiple Claimants,” Bristol West, 2023
• “UM/UIM and Bad Faith,” Allstate, 2017
• “Excess Verdicts and Bad Faith,” GEICO, 2016
• “How to Tackle Multiple Claimant Scenarios and Other Claims Handling Issues,” Bristol West, 2015
• “Defending and Defeating Punitive Damages in Extra Contractual Litigation,” CLM Insurance Bad Faith and Coverage Conference, 2014
• “Confessions of Judgment,” Allstate ECL Summit, 2014
• “Bad Faith Hot Topics 2014,” Windhaven, 2014
• “Hot Topics Regarding PIP and the 2013 Statute & Top Ten bad Faith Pitfalls to Avoid in Florida,” Farmers, 2014
• “Bad Faith – First Party Claims,” FCCI, 2014
• “First Party Bad Faith,” First Protective, 2012
• “Bad Faith,” Sir Galloway Cleaners, 2012
• “Top Ten Bad Faith Pitfalls To Avoid in Florida,” CJW & Associates, 2011
• “Bad Faith – Fabric Restoration,” Citizens, 2011
• “Bad Faith/Excess Verdict,” Kubicki Draper Claims Management Conference, 2010

• Honorable Justice Harry Lee Anstead, Florida Supreme Court (Judicial Intern)

• Understanding Spoliation Claims in Florida: First-Party vs. Third-Party Considerations, KD Fall Quarterly, 2024

When not practicing law, Melonie enjoys singing with the Master Chorale of South Florida, a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that world-class performances of major works written for chorus and orchestra remain part of South Florida’s cultural fabric.