Melinda Sarafa represents individuals and corporations in the areas of white collar crime, complex civil litigation, and appeals. Her extensive experience includes matters involving securities, money laundering, RICO, bribery, fraud, false statements, narcotics trafficking, forfeiture, pornography, and computer-related crimes.
She has defended numerous well-known figures in business, entertainment, and the clergy, and can effectively manage both sensitive and high-profile litigation. Recent cases include:
Ms. Sarafa earned her law degree, with distinction, from Stanford Law School, where she was Senior Article Editor of the Stanford Law Review. She graduated, summa cum laude, from Princeton University with a degree in East Asian Studies. Ms. Sarafa is admitted to practice in state and federal courts in both New York and Texas, as well as in the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Second and Fifth Circuits.
Prior to forming the New York office of Zuckerman Spaeder, Ms. Sarafa practiced for several years in a prominent Manhattan criminal defense firm, and for two years as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in Houston, Texas. Ms. Sarafa clerked for the Honorable Carolyn Dineen King of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and for the Honorable Jerry Buchmeyer of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
LANGUAGES
Mandarin Chinese
OFFICES
New York
MEMBERSHIPS
American Bar Association
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
ADMISSIONS
New York
Texas
U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
PRACTICES
Appellate Litigation
Complex Civil Litigation
White Collar Criminal Litigation