梅丽莎·布朗

Clinical Professor of 法律 梅丽莎·布朗 has devoted her entire career to advocating for the rights of the elderly 和 disabled. Beginning in college and throughout law school, she worked in legal aid programs. Later, in her private practice, she continued to represent elder, injured and disabled clients. 在她的公司, 弗劳洛•布朗, she litigated cases for individual clients and health care providers in state and federal administrative law courts, state trial and appellate courts, and Federal District and Appellate Courts.

At McGeorge School of 法律, Professor Brown teaches Elder 法律 & Social Policy, is the Director of the Elder & 卫生法诊所, 和 Director of the Elder & Health 法律 Certificate of Concentration. She serves as the faculty advisor for the Native American 法律 Student Association. 除了, from 2013-2023 she served as the Legal Clinic Director, during which time she oversaw the development of the Legislative & Public Policy Clinic 和 首页less Advocacy clinic.  She received the 2022 Hether Clash Macfarlane Faculty Teaching Innovation Award which is conferred upon a McGeorge faculty member who demonstrated significant positive changes or innovations in his or her teaching. 最近, it was announced that legal clinic students who dedicate significant pro bono time to meet the legal needs of their clients beyond their experiential learning requirements will receive the “Melissa C. Brown Legal Clinic Honors” certificate.

Professor Brown's students are involved in addressing the social determinants of health and civil legal needs of their clients. This includes the direct representation of clients, including courtroom advocacy. 她的 & Health 法律 students participate in unique and innovative interdisciplinary classes that she has developed with UC Davis Medical School Faculty. Joining with UC Davis medical students, they explore medical and legal issues addressing mutual professional, ethical and legal issues such as informed consent, surrogate decision-making, 临终关怀, 虐待老人, the latter being identified by the Center for Disease Control as a significant public health concern.

Listed among "萨克拉门托's 40 Top 法律yers" from The Best 法律yers in America for more than a decade, and featured in 萨克拉门托杂志, Los Angeles Daily Journal 和 日常记录, Professor Brown has lectured extensively and provided legislative testimony and recommendations on behalf of injured workers, 和 aging and disabled. This advocacy work has contributed to the development of the probate court investigator system, nursing home citation system, durable powers of attorney, alternative dispute resolution statutes and Medicare supplemental insurance protection for consumers.

Attorneys and law students use Professor Brown's book, Advising the Elderly or Disabled Client, which she co-authored 法律rence A. Frolik.  Professor Brown has produced film, video and written material for attorneys and advocates for the elderly and disabled in the states of Alaska, 阿肯色州, 加州和德克萨斯州, and for such organizations as the American Association of Retired Persons, 长老会, the American Bar Association, the State Bar of California, 和 California 继续教育 of the Bar. She has served as an expert witness for the NFL Players Association regarding injury claims, and is an arbitrator and mediator for collective bargaining agreements dealing with work injuries.

As an enrolled member of the Shawnee Tribe, she serves as a board member of the International Association for Indigenous Aging. She co-chairs the 萨克拉门托 Financial Abuse Specialist Team, a collaborative effort of the 萨克拉门托 County District Attorney and Adult Protective Services and is part of the California Elder Justice Coalition’s A*Team, a group of policy experts convened to examine the obstacles encountered by local elder abuse multidisciplinary teams and recommend policy and programmatic changes to improve the system statewide.