Melissa Rizzo joined Adams and Reese in 2010 following the firm's expansion into Tampa. She has been practicing law since 2009 and is an Associate in the firm's Litigation Practice Group.
Missy's litigation experience includes a variety of commercial matters, including real property and contract disputes, unfair competition and related business disputes, and intellectual property disputes, including patent and trademark infringement actions. Missy also has patent prosecution experience in a variety of technical fields, including the chemical, mechanical, and biomedical arts.
She is admitted to practice before all state courts in Florida, the federal district courts for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh and Federal Circuits. She is also registered to practice in patent cases before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Prior to attending law school, Missy used her chemical engineering degree to work as a process engineer for an oil refinery. She served as the sulfur recovery unit engineer, managing, troubleshooting, and optimizing the day-to-day and long-term operation of the unit. Missy also was active in the planning and execution of turnarounds for several major refinery units, and in that role, she participated in catalyst loading, vessel inspection, and unit shutdowns and start-ups.
Missy then chose a legal career and attended law school at Stetson University College of Law, earning her J.D., summa cum laude, and graduating first in her law school class.
While at Stetson, she was a senior associate member of the Stetson Law Review and president of the Intellectual Property Law Society.
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