María D. Meléndez

María D. Meléndez is a litigation partner at Sidley Austin LLP. Her practice focuses primarily on complex commercial litigation representing U.S. and non-U.S. clients in state and federal courts throughout the U.S. and in domestic and international arbitration matters. She litigates cases and handles arbitration proceedings involving allegations of fraud, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and other business torts. Her litigation experience includes securities litigation matters representing public companies, investment banks, broker-dealers, directors and officers, and corporate issuers in their defense of actions arising under the federal securities laws. Her practice also includes representing companies and individuals in investigations conducted by regulators, including the SEC. She is the NY chair of Sidley’s Diversity Committee and a member of Sidley’s Hiring Committee. Ms. Meléndez is active in pro bono and community activities. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Latino Justice PRLDEF, which has won landmark civil rights cases on behalf of Latinos in the U.S. She handled cases for, and served on the Board of Directors of, inMotion, Inc., a public service organization that provides free legal assistance in matrimonial, family, and immigration law to low-income women in NYC. She is a member of the Federal Bar Council, the American Bar Association, the Hispanic National Bar Association, and the Puerto Rican Bar Association. Ms. Meléndez is a frequent speaker on the value of identifying and cultivating advisors, mentors, and sponsors for minorities and women in the legal profession. She is a graduate of Syracuse University and graduated cum laude from Albany Law School of Union University where she was an Associate Editor of the Albany Law Review.