Melissa Cabrera

Melissa Cabrera is a Principal in McKool Smith's New York office. Melissa’s practice involves intellectual property litigation and complex commercial litigation. Her practice has included actions in state and federal district courts as well as in the United States International Trade Commission (ITC).

Prior to joining the firm, she was a law clerk to the Honorable Paul E. Davison of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Before clerking, Melissa worked at a litigation boutique where she prosecuted antitrust, commodity manipulation, and securities fraud matters on behalf of institutional investors, health insurance companies, and individuals.

Melissa graduated from Cornell Law School in 2013. At Cornell, Melissa taught constitutional law to inmates at Auburn Correctional Facility through Cornell’s Prison Education Program, served as a Teaching Fellow at Cornell's Industrial & Labor Relations School, and worked as a student attorney in Cornell Law School’s Human Rights Clinic.

Melissa also maintains an active pro bono practice. Through the Firm’s partnership with Her Justice, she has represented an indigent plaintiff seeking full custody in a divorce action.

• Representing TiVo subsidiary Rovi in multiple International Trade Commission investigations against Comcast involving numerous patents related to interactive search, interactive television program guides, DVR technology, and related technologies, in trial and appeals.
• Representing Ericsson in multiple patent infringement actions involving wireless products in the ITC.
• Representing SEVEN Networks in an Eastern District of Texas patent litigation suit involving a number of Apple mobile products and services alleged to infringe sixteen patents owned by SEVEN Networks.
• Representing a natural gas producer defendant in multiple matters involving claims for royalty underpayments; breach of contract; trespass; fraud; and alleged statutory violations relating to the timeliness of royalty payments; and a putative class action alleging failure to properly calculate and pay royalties on natural gas liquids.
• Representing an environmental equipment, design and installation services company plaintiff in an insurance coverage dispute against its insurers, alleging breach of contract claims and seeking declaratory judgment regarding obligations to pay defense costs and indemnification obligations.
• Representing a packaging company defendant in Delaware state court breach of contract dispute following the plaintiff’s acquisition of defendant’s company in discovery and preparing for trial.
• Representing relators in actions regarding Medicare and Medicaid fraud.

• Recognized by "Best Lawyers in America" as Ones to Watch (2024, 2025)
• Recognized among the "40 & Under" by Benchmark Litigation (2023, 2024)
• Recognized as a Pathfinder of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), 2021