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| After a stellar and decorated undergraduate career, Melvin L. Otey attended a prestigious law school, where he excelled academically, triumphed in national trial advocacy competitions, was chosen as Student of the Year by his peers and graduated at the top of his class. Thereafter, he was selected into the highly competitive Honors Program of the United States Department of Justice. After serving as a federal prosecutor, he worked with a noted and successful civil rights and litigation law firm before establishing the Law Offices of Melvin L. Otey, PLLC.
As an experienced and highly successful criminal defense counsel, and former trial attorney in the DOJ Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, Otey has litigated complex criminal cases including, but not limited to, securities fraud, bank fraud, mail fraud, health care fraud, money laundering, RICO claims, tax evasion, embezzlement, bribery, perjury, armed robbery, misprision, narcotics offenses, assaulting police officers, and driving while intoxicated.
While his clients regularly avoid conviction at trial, Attorney Otey has successfully prevented many clients from ever facing a day in court. He routinely represents targets and witnesses at all stages of the investigative and enforcement process and places a high emphasis on preserving client reputations. In those cases where criminal charges are unavoidable, he aggressively protects his client's interests to the absolute limit of the law, from pretrial preparations and settlement negotiations through trial and, if necessary, appeal.
He approaches civil litigation with the same zeal and aggression. He has successfully litigated varied complex civil matters including, but not limited to, breach of contract, fraud, conversion, civil rights violations, negligence, discrimination, police misconduct, toxic torts and personal injury matters. He has obtained large financial awards in jury trials and often settles client claims on highly beneficial terms.
EDUCATION
- Howard University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude,, 2000.
President, Huver I. Brown Trial Advocacy Moot Court Team
National Champion & Best Advocate -
National Institute for Trial Advocacy Tournament of Champions
- St. Louis University, B.A.,magna cum laude , 1997
Wall Street Journal Award for Outstanding Graduate in Finance
Inducted into Three Honor Societies
BAR ADMISSIONS
- District of Columbia Court of Appeals,
- Maryland Court of Appeals, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, U.S. District Court for
- the District of Maryland, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, U.S. Court of Appeals
- for the Fourth Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
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