Mel Bostwick

Mel Bostwick is a partner in the Supreme Court & Appellate practice in the Washington, D.C., office of Orrick. Having started her legal career as a law clerk to Judge Timothy Dyk of the Federal Circuit, Mel now focuses her practice at that court. She represents tech and life sciences companies in high-stakes patent appeals and also advises on appellate issues at the trial and agency level. Mel’s recent victories include successfully vacating a trade-secret misappropriation damages award for Central Garden & Pet, while preserving Central’s favorable patent judgment; obtaining five writs of mandamus on behalf of a leading tech company, all relating to venue issues in patent infringement cases; and being part of the team that persuaded the Federal Circuit to reverse a $1.2B jury verdict against Kite Pharma, with the court holding that the asserted patent lacked written-description support under § 112.

Mel also maintains a significant pro bono practice representing veterans and veterans’ organizations in cases before the Federal Circuit and the Supreme Court. Most recently, Mel argued on behalf of the veteran petitioner in George v. McDonough before the U.S. Supreme Court in April 2022. Mel serves on the Advisory Council of the Federal Circuit and on the Board of Trustees of the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia. Mel is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Northwestern University. In addition to her Federal Circuit clerkship, she clerked for Judge Thomas Griffith of the D.C. Circuit.