Melissa K. Habeck

Ms. Habeck is a senior associate with Forsberg & Umlauf.  Melissa practices general civil litigation with a focus on asbestos tort litigation.  She also practices personal injury litigation and construction defect litigation.  Ms. Habeck currently chairs the Washington Asbestos Defense meetings and regularly organizes Asbestos Brown Bag Continuing Legal Education seminars.  Melissa has been named a 2006 and 2007 Rising Star Attorney in Washington Law and Politics.

Upcoming Seminars:  Asbestos Trial 101 - Jury Selection (Date TBA)

E-Mail: mhabeck@forsberg-umlauf.com

Business Card: 

• Experience:
  Ms. Habeck has handled all phases of insurance defense, including asbestos tort litigation, construction defect and personal injury matters.  In 2000, prior to working as an associate handling asbestos tort matters, Ms. Habeck worked as an Extern in the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals working with the United States Sentencing Guidelines.  

• Education:
  Thomas M. Cooley School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2000
       - Law Review Symposium Editor
       - Winner of the American Bar Association, Law Student Division, National Appellate
         Advocacy Competition
  South Dakota State University, B.S., 1993

• Admitted To Bar:
  Washington State Bar, 2000
  United States District Court, Western District of Washington
  

• Memberships:
  Washington State Bar Association
  King County Bar Association
  Washington Young Lawyers Division
  Washington Defense Trial Lawyers

• Lectures, Seminars and Publications:
  

  • Voir Dire:  How to Pick a Jury, February 14, 2008

  • Asbestos Pathology, Epidemiology and Industrial Hygeine Expert Panel, December, 2007

  • WDTL, Asbestos Law Update, December 14, 2007

  • Lorman, Taking and Defending Effective Depositions in Washington, November 2, 2007

  • National Business Institute (NBI), The Art of Settlement, October 29, 2007

  • Asbestos Brown Bag CLE:  Nuts and Bolts of Washington State Asbestos Law, September, 2007.

  • National Business Institute (NBI), Legal Writing and Analysis Workshop for Paralegals:  Brief Writing, March 17, 2007.

  • Washington State Paralegal Association (WSPA) presenter: The History and Current Status of Multi-District Litigation (MDL), October 2006.

  • Review of Radiology and ILO forms, Presenter Dr. David Godwin, October, 2006

  • Asbestos Trial 101:  Exhibits, Jury Selection, Opening Statements and Closing Arguments, August, 2006

  • Chair Monthly Washington Asbestos Defense Meetings, February 2005 to Present.

  • Washington Defense Trial Lawyers Article, To Whom the Bell Tolls: Analysis of Clare v. Saberhagen Discovery Rule, October, 2006.

  • Asbestos Brown Bag CLE:  Asbestos Trial 101:  Exhibits, Voir DIre, Opening Statements and Closing Arguments, Fall 2006.

  • Asbestos Brown Bag CLE:  How to Read Radiology and ILO Forms, Summer 2006. 

  • Harkins v. Harkins And The Habitual Residency of Abducted Children, The Thomas M. Cooley Journal of Practical and Clinical Law, Volume 3, Issue 2, March 2000.