Get to know the members of the Women Trial Lawyers Caucus.

Melissa M. Baxter is a partner at Kline & Specter, where she concentrates her practice on medical malpractice and catastrophic personal injury litigation. She is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney - a distinction held by fewer than 2.5% of attorneys in the state.

Throughout her career, Melissa has secured numerous significant verdicts on behalf of individuals harmed by medical negligence, nursing home abuse, wrongful death, and other forms of wrongful injury. Most recently, as co‑lead counsel, she obtained a six-figure verdict in June 2024 in Middlesex County on behalf of the estate of an elderly Alzheimer’s patient who died after sustaining multiple fractures and a traumatic brain injury at a psychiatric hospital. She also served as co‑lead counsel in a Maryland medical malpractice case that also resulted in a six-figure verdict against a plastic surgeon who failed to diagnose an infection, leaving a young woman with permanent scarring.

Baxter serves as Secretary of the New Jersey Association for Justice, where she has been a member of the Board of Governors since 2017 and successfully argued an amicus matter before the New Jersey Supreme Court. She also serves as Vice President of the Trial Attorneys of New Jersey.

She is admitted to practice in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Q. What year did you join NJAJ?

A. 2014

Q. Why did you join NJAJ?

A. To meet and learn from other wrongful injury attorneys; to connect with attorneys in New Jersey whose expertise could assist my clients in other ways outside the injury attorney field (such as workers compensation attorneys and employment attorneys); and to network and share experiences with others who understand, appreciate, and work relentlessly in obtaining compensation for victims who are wrongfully injured.

Q. Why did you become involved in the WTLC?

A. The WTLC offered different and unique perspectives and opportunities that appealed to me including the WTLC round table events which are always informative, thought provoking, and extremely helpful in assisting with difficult cases and specific issues.

Q. What is your favorite vacation spot? 

A. San Sebastian, Spain

Q. Who is your personal hero, and why? 

A. My 97 year old grandmother who immigrated from China as a mother of four young children with mere dollars to her name. She worked tirelessly to raise and support her family in New York City, enduring racism and financial hardship. She is currently a landlord in Queens where she rents out several apartments that she owns.

Q. What’s your favorite quote?

A. "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift" – Prefontaine.