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Melissa Overbeck is an associate in the Labor Department and a member of the Employment Litigation & Arbitration Group. She represents employers across a wide range of industries in employment-related disputes in state and federal courts, before administrative agencies, and in arbitrations. Melissa regularly defends companies in single-plaintiff, class, and collective actions involving claims of discrimination, retaliation, harassment, breach of contract, employment-related torts, and wage-and-hour violations. Her litigation experience includes helping clients secure dismissals of reverse discrimination claims, including in high-profile entertainment industry matters involving sports broadcasters. Her approach to litigation is informed by deep experience working with complex factual records and large data sets, particularly in wage-and-hour and classification matters, enabling her to identify patterns, assess risk, and develop clear, persuasive case strategies.

In addition to her litigation work, Melissa advises employers on day-to-day employment issues and is particularly known for her work on complex workplace investigations and audits. She conducts sensitive internal investigations, including those involving harassment and discrimination allegations, and leads wage-and-hour audits that require detailed classification and data analysis. Drawing on her background in journalism, Melissa brings a rigorous, fact-driven approach to interviews and evidence development, helping clients uncover critical details and build credible, defensible narratives. She also assists employers with risk mitigation efforts, including updating workplace policies and employee handbooks, and conducts sexual harassment and discrimination training for managers and employees.

Selected as a Protégée in Proskauer’s Women Sponsorship Program, Melissa was among a small group of high-performing lawyers chosen for this selective leadership initiative. While attending Duke University School of Law, she served as executive online editor of the Duke Law Journal and was a law clerk in the litigation bureau of the New York State Office of the Attorney General, where she represented the state in matters involving state employees.