MELANIE L. RONEN

Melanie Ronen is a shareholder with Keesal, Young & Logan in its Long Beach office.  Her practice focuses primarily on employment litigation and advisory matters.

Melanie works closely with employers to problem solve a wide variety of issues that arise in the workplace.  This includes providing advice on employment law and related topics such as disability and protected leaves, employee privacy, wage and hour considerations, workplace violence, and retaliation and whistleblower concerns, as well as counseling on hiring, promotion, demotion, and termination issues.  Melanie also assists employers with drafting and review of employment manuals and various employment-related agreements, forms, policies, and plans.  She conducts workplace investigations following complaints and allegations of harassment, discrimination, bullying, and other unlawful or unwanted conduct, and counsels employers on moving forward when such concerns arise.  Beyond providing pure legal advice, Melanie also strives to provide common-sense strategies for handling and resolving workplace conflicts in an effort to avoid litigation if possible. 

Often litigation is unavoidable.  Melanie also regularly represents employers in judicial, arbitration, and administrative proceedings involving all manner of employment disputes, such as discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, wage and hour (including class and mass actions, and PAGA claims), breach of contract, defamation, unfair competition, and trade secret and raiding claims.  As with her employment advisory practice, Melanie seeks to achieve her clients’ goals in the most pragmatic and cost-effective means possible.

Melanie represents clients from various industries including, financial services (i.e., banks, broker-dealers, investment advisors, insurance companies), manufacturing, software and technology, and transportation.

Melanie serves on the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.  She was recognized by Law & Politics Magazine as one of Southern California’s “Rising Stars” from 2005 through 2012. 

Melanie also proudly served as a member on the Board of Trustees for the Long Beach Ronald McDonald House from 2014-2022.  She served as the Board’s Secretary from 2017–2019 and the Vice President, Administration from 2020-2021.  Melanie is currently a member of the Advisory Board for the Mayor’s Fund for Long Beach.