DANIEL B. ROSS
Senior Shareholder

Daniel B. Ross was born in Harvey, Illinois, in 1956 and grew up in Longview, Texas.  He graduated from the University of Texas with a B.A. in the Plan II Honors Program with High Honors in May 1978.  Upon graduation, he operated several successful businesses in Austin, Texas.  After his career as an entrepreneur, Mr. Ross attended the University of Texas School of Law, from which he received his Juris Doctor in 1994.  Mr. Ross was Associate Editor of the Texas Law Review, and was a member of several trial competition teams representing the University of Texas School of Law.

Beginning in 1994, Mr. Ross was associated with an AV-rated firm in Austin, Texas, where he worked extensively on litigated matters, handling a varied caseload of Personal Injury and Business litigation.

In the course of his career, Mr. Ross has represented hundreds of clients and has become well known in the legal community for his tenacious, effective representation and his skill in negotiating the resolution of disputed matters.  He has accrued civil trial experience including Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice, Insurance Bad Faith, Products Liability, and Consumer Law, and has extensive experience in Business Entity creation, Business Transactions, and general Business litigation.

Mr. Ross has tried numerous jury trials to verdict in District, County and Federal Courts.  His appellate experience includes briefing and arguing in the Austin and San Antonio Courts of Appeal.  He is licensed as an attorney by the Supreme Court of the State of Texas.


JOHN F. MELTON
Shareholder

John F. Melton was born in Austin, Texas in 1973, and grew up in Austin and Midland, Texas.  He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in 1996, and in 1999 received his Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego, where he was a Comment Editor of the San Diego Law Review.  He was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1999, and admitted to Federal practice in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas, in 2000.

Mr. Melton has worked with Daniel Ross since 1999, practicing with a focus on Insurance Bad Faith, Employment Law, Consumer Law and Personal Injury cases.  From 2003 to 2005, in the course of his prosecution of clients’ claims for Insurance Bad Faith, he fought and won more than 60 Motions for Summary Judgment brought by the State Farm Insurance Company.  In 2005, he was second-chair on a Travis County District Court trial that rendered a Jury Verdict of $845,000.00 against State Farm for its bad-faith claims handling practices. The jury in that trial found that State Farm had knowingly and intentionally violated the law.

Mr. Melton is a seasoned Employment Law attorney with a distinguished track record representing people who have experienced sexual harassment, retaliation, or been wrongfully terminated by their employers.

Mr. Melton has first-chaired several jury trials to verdict and has years of experience practicing in District, County and Federal Courts.  His appellate experience includes briefing cases before the Third Court of Appeal in Austin and the Supreme Court of Texas.  He is licensed as an attorney by the Supreme Court of the State of Texas.


MICHAEL W. BALCEZAK
Shareholder

Michael W. Balcezak was born in Austin, Texas in 1974, and grew up in Austin, too, completing all of his schooling prior to law school in Austin.  He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in 1996, and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Houston Law Center in 1999.  He was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in November, 1999 and began his legal career with the Austin law firm of DeLeon, Boggins & Icenogle with a practice that focused on insurance defense.  Mr. Balcezak joined our firm in February, 2002.

Mr. Balcezak’s practice is made up exclusively of civil litigation, including personal injury, commercial, and employment litigation.  He has brought more than 200 personal injury cases to resolution through settlement or trial.  Mr. Balcezak is adept at analyzing and litigating complex and unusual legal matters.  His fluency in Spanish is an asset in communicating with both clients and witnesses.

Mr. Balcezak has first-chaired numerous jury trials to verdict since joining the Firm.  He has years of experience practicing in District, County and Municipal Courts in venues throughout Central Texas, including jury trials in Travis County, Williamson County, Bell County and McLellan County.  He is licensed as an attorney by the Supreme Court of the State of Texas.


Michael E. Denosky
Shareholder

Michael E. Denosky was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on September 21, 1951. He graduated cum laude from State University of New York at New Paltz with a B.S. in 1976, and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Houston Law Center in 1983.  Mr. Denosky was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1984 and earned a Board Certification in Civil Trial Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in 1991.

Mr. Denosky served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas for over twenty-one years, with a focus on Eminent Domain/ Condemnation Law.  He entered private practice as a shareholder in Ross, Melton, Denosky & Balcezak, P.C., to use his knowledge and experience to assist Texas landowners and condemning authorities in the Condemnation process.

Author/Lecturer:    Kelo v. City of New London, Connecticut, and Texas Senate Bill 7 – An Analysis of “Public Use” in Texas – IRWA Austin Chapter, 2005