July 24, 2025
Fuller and Waxley Named to New Orleans CityBusiness 2025 Leadership in Law Class
FormanWatkins is proud to announce that Melissa Fuller and Taylor Waxley have been selected to the 2025 Leadership in Law class by New Orleans CityBusiness. Each year, the publication honors 50 legal professionals in the New Orleans area for their outstanding career accomplishments and community contributions. This year’s honorees will be recognized at a special event in the fall.
Melissa Fuller is a seasoned litigator who represents Fortune 50, Fortune 200, and Fortune 500 companies in complex toxic tort, premises liability, and environmental litigation. She serves as national coordinating counsel for a Fortune 200 energy company, leads trial teams in high-stakes benzene exposure cases, and co-leads the defense of expropriation claims for a major forest products client. Melissa’s legal acumen and strategic leadership have resulted in multiple client victories and dismissals, reinforcing her reputation as a trusted advocate in both federal and state courts throughout Louisiana.
In addition to her litigation work, Melissa chairs the Recruiting Committee for the New Orleans office and is actively involved in professional organizations such as the New Orleans Bar Association, the Women’s Energy Network, and DRI. She has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America®: Ones to Watch, Super Lawyers Rising Stars, and New Orleans Magazine for her excellence in litigation and commitment to the profession.
Taylor Waxley represents the next generation of legal excellence, having already built a diverse and impactful litigation portfolio in her first five years of practice. She has defended national and multinational companies in matters ranging from asbestos litigation to data breaches and environmental class actions. Notably, she played a critical role in finalizing a complex settlement in a multi-year class action against a Fortune 500 manufacturer and has led high-stakes insurance disputes for clients across multiple jurisdictions.
Taylor also brings her advocacy to the community through meaningful pro bono work. She recently helped secure an appellate win affirming the factual innocence and compensation of a man wrongfully incarcerated for 23 years, in partnership with the Innocence Project New Orleans. Her community engagement includes service with the Human Rights Campaign, Swords to Plowshares, and the Young Leadership Council.
At FormanWatkins, we believe the best results come from hard work, deep curiosity, and an openness to different perspectives. We are intentionally different, a firm of really smart people handling complex litigation across the country with creativity, precision, and a commitment to excellence. Grounded in decades of success and driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, we bring together exceptional minds to solve the toughest legal challenges and deliver unmatched value to our clients.
