Melody H. Eagan, Managing Partner
Birmingham
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205-581-0777 phone
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205-581-0799 fax
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meagan@lightfootlaw.com
Biography
Melody Eagan understands that attention to details makes the difference.
Melody has decades of experience defending clients in high-stakes catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. A trusted regional counsel for a number of manufacturers, Melody has successfully tried numerous cases to verdict throughout the Southeast. She understands that the key to handling product liability cases is a detailed understanding of the product’s design and utility, and because of her experience and attention to detail, Melody is at home presenting complex engineering concepts to juries in an easy-to-understand fashion, picking apart experts’ theories and defending her clients’ products.
In addition to her product liability practice, Melody regularly represents doctors and hospitals in medical malpractice cases. She also serves as appellate counsel for a number of clients, assisting them not only with appeals but also preparation and oral argument of dispositive and other significant pretrial motions at the trial court level.
Melody, Lightfoot's current managing partner, is the first woman to lead the firm in its history. She is also on the firm's Executive Committee. Melody previously served as the president of the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association (ADLA) in 2012-13, only the third woman ever elected to the office. Melody is also a member of the 2018 Leadership Alabama class.
Melody’s interests outside of work focus primarily on her family, her church, and music. Married to a trial lawyer, she is a proud mother and classically trained musician. Melody plays piano at her church, teaches children’s Sunday school, and serves in various church leadership roles, including a recent election to the Vestry, reflecting her deep commitment to her faith community. In addition to her church activities, she has recently been appointed to the Board of Better Basics, furthering her dedication to educational and community development. Her past volunteer experiences include being a fundraiser for the American Heart Association and serving on the Board of Directors for Magic Moments, a wish-granting organization for children in Alabama with chronic life-threatening illnesses. Melody also enjoys singing, working out her stress on the Peloton, and spending time with her children, who range in age over a 20+ year span.
Representative Matters
- Securing a defense verdict for a gas-valve manufacturer after a two-week jury trial in South Carolina. The plaintiffs, two propane workers who were servicing a tank at the time of a gas explosion, suffered serious life-altering burns and claimed out-of-pocket damages in excess of $3.5 million.
- Winning a defense verdict for a family practice doctor in a wrongful death medical malpractice case in Alabama where the patient’s widow alleged that her husband died as a result of the doctor’s prescription of a hormone treatment in combination with a weight loss medication.
- Securing the mandamus and reversal by the Alabama Supreme Court of a trial court order allowing an inspection by plaintiffs’ expert of a client’s tire manufacturing plant.
- Securing the Rule 702 exclusion of numerous experts in both federal and state court cases, including the exclusion of an expert chemist’s testimony upheld on appeal by both the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals and the Alabama Supreme Court.
- Acting as regional counsel for the world’s largest manufacturer and maintainer of people-moving products, including elevators, escalators and moving walkways.
- Representing a major appliance manufacturer in fire and serious burn injury cases throughout the Southeast, including cases in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Texas.
- Serving as regional counsel for a Fortune 500 worldwide company that manufactures products and provides engineering services for a wide range of industrial, commercial and consumer markets.
Articles
Events
News
- Lightfoot Named to 2024 BTI Client Service A-Team, Singled Out For Rapid Advancements in Client Experience
- Lightfoot Promotes Amaobi Enyinnia, Benjamin Harmon and Rachelle Sanchez to Partner
- Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC Earns ‘Top 20 Trial Law Firm’ for 7th Year and Achieves Multiple Firm and Attorney Honors in Benchmark Litigation’s 2024 Guide
- Eleventh Circuit Affirms Major Product Liability Win in Favor of Lightfoot Fortune 500 Automotive Client
- Melody Eagan, Lana Olson, Haley Cox Named to Benchmark Litigation ‘Top 250 Women in Litigation - South’ for 2023
- Chambers and Partners USA Ranks Lightfoot Practices and Attorneys in 2023 Chambers USA Guide
- Lightfoot Achieves Midsize Mansfield Certification Plus Status
- Lightfoot Named to BTI Client Service A-Team: Survey of Law Firm Client Service Performance 2023
- Lightfoot Named 2023 Benchmark Litigation’s ‘Alabama Firm of the Year’
- Lightfoot Promotes Kaitlyn Faucett and Amie Vague to Partner
- Lightfoot Recognized as ‘Frequently Recommended’ in BTI’s Most Recommended Law Firms 2022
- 28 Lightfoot Attorneys Named 2022 Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
- Lightfoot Managing Partner Melody Eagan Discusses the Importance of Law Firm Culture on “Everything Except the Law” Podcast
- Three Lightfoot Attorneys Named Birmingham “Lawyers of the Year” and 48 Recognized Overall in 2023 Edition of Best Lawyers®
- Melody Eagan, Lana Olson and Haley Cox Named to Benchmark Litigation "Top 250 Women in Litigation - South" for 2022
- Chambers and Partners USA Ranks Lightfoot Practices and Attorneys in 2022 Guide
- Lightfoot Managing Partner Melody Eagan Discusses Women Leading Law Firms on LAWsome Podcast
- Lightfoot Wins Summary Judgment in Product Liability Case after Exclusion of Key Plaintiff Expert Witness
- 31 Lightfoot Attorneys Named 2021 Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
- Lightfoot Named to Birmingham Business Journal’s “Best Place to Work” for Fifth Consecutive Year
- Three Lightfoot Attorneys Named Birmingham ‘Lawyers of the Year’ and 44 Recognized Overall in 2022 Edition of Best Lawyers®
- Managing Partner Melody Eagan Talks Leadership and Business Development at Birmingham Bar Association’s Future Leaders Forum
- Melody Eagan Named to Birmingham Business Journal’s “Who’s Who in Law 2021”
- Law 360 Pulse Interview: Melody Eagan on COVID-19 Adjustment and What’s Next for Lightfoot
- Chambers and Partners USA Ranks Lightfoot Practices and Attorneys in 2021 Guide
- 32 Lightfoot Attorneys Named 2020 'Mid-South Super Lawyers' and 'Rising Stars' by Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters)
- Melody Eagan Named to ‘Top Birmingham Women’ List for 2020 by Birmingham Business Journal
- Benchmark Litigation Names 17 Lightfoot Lawyers to 2021 Guide
- B-Metro Magazine Names Lightfoot Partners ‘Top Women Attorneys’ for 2020
- Two Lightfoot Attorneys Recognized as Birmingham "Lawyer of the Year,” 30 Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© 2021 and Eight Recognized as “Ones to Watch”
- Melody Eagan Named to 2020 ‘Who’s Who in Law’ by Birmingham Business Journal
- Melody Eagan, Lana Olson and Haley Cox Named to Benchmark Litigation’s ‘Top 250 Women in Litigation’ for 2020
- Lightfoot Attorneys Named 2019 Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
- Benchmark Litigation Recognizes 15 Lightfoot Attorneys in its 2020 Edition
- Melody Eagan and Lana Olson Named to Benchmark Litigation’s ‘Top 250 Women in Litigation’ for 2019
- Melody Eagan Named to Birmingham Business Journal’s 2019 ‘Who’s Who in Law’
- Three Lightfoot Attorneys Recognized as Birmingham ‘Lawyers of the Year’ and 24 Listed Overall in The Best Lawyers in America© 2020
- Six Lightfoot Partners Named to 2019 B-Metro Magazine ‘Top Flight Attorneys’
- Lightfoot Attorneys Named 2018 Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
- National Law Journal Recognizes Lightfoot Managing Partner Melody Eagan as a 2018 ‘Elite Boutique Trailblazer’
- Lightfoot Managing Partner Melody Eagan Selected to Leadership Alabama
- Two Lightfoot, Franklin & White Attorneys Recognized as Birmingham ‘Lawyers of the Year’ and 20 Listed Overall in The Best Lawyers in America 2019
- B-Metro Magazine Names Melody Eagan, Sara Ford and Lana Olson ‘Top Women Attorneys’
- Lightfoot Listed Among Top Five Local Litigation Firms for 2018 by the Birmingham Business Journal
- Lightfoot Managing Partner Melody Eagan Recognized in Birmingham Business Journal’s 2018 ‘Who’s Who in Law’
- Lightfoot Managing Partner Reads to First Grade Class, Firm Participates in Book Drive for 2018 Birmingham Reads Day
- Melody Eagan Assumes Role as Lightfoot’s Managing Partner
- Melody Eagan Speaks on ‘Women Lawyers Leading the Way’ Panel
- 41 Lightfoot Attorneys Named 2017 Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
- Melody Eagan Named Managing Partner of Lightfoot, Franklin & White
- Four Lightfoot, Franklin & White Attorneys Recognized as Birmingham ‘Lawyers of the Year’ and 19 Listed Overall in 2018 The Best Lawyers in America© Published by Woodward/White, Inc.
- Jury Returns a Defense Verdict for Lightfoot’s Client in a Medical Malpractice Case
- Thirty-five Lightfoot Attorneys Named 2016 Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars by Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers
- Eighteen Lawyers from Lightfoot listed in the ‘Best Lawyers in America’ 2017 by Best Lawyers® by Woodward White, Inc.
Lessons Learned
On Simplifying a Defense
The trial was in rural Mississippi. The plaintiff was burned in a flash fire when she opened her oven door to retrieve some homemade biscuits. One of the volunteer EMTs at the site mentioned seeing tools on the shelf of a nearby propane furnace, as well as some matches and a homemade lighter. The EMT also told our investigator that the plaintiff had said that her husband was fiddling with the furnace that morning, a fact the plaintiff later denied.
When we tested the furnace’s gas control valve, the valve stuck open and leaked — not because of a defect in the valve, but because of a nest built in the valve by Mississippi mud daubers. The plaintiff’s expert had stored this valuable piece of evidence in an open shed. The obvious defense was spoliation after the accident by the plaintiff ’s expert and the lack of any evidence of a defect.
Even though we were armed with a good defense, we could not resist arguing that the plaintiff 's husband caused the gas leak, so we called the EMT as a witness. Little did we know, the EMT was the plaintiff s neighbor and had been sued by the plaintiff because her pet goats had repeatedly feasted in the plaintiff’s yard, leading to a neighborly feud rivaling the Hatfields and McCoys. Unfortunately, as a result, the plaintiff’s counsel successfully made our star witness out to be vindictive rather than credible.
From that day forward, I’ve prepared my cases by asking myself, “Do I really need to go after those tools, or do I risk becoming a goat by 'biting off more than I can chew'?"
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Legal Assistant
Bio
Melody Eagan understands that attention to details makes the difference.
Melody has decades of experience defending clients in high-stakes catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. A trusted regional counsel for a number of manufacturers, Melody has successfully tried numerous cases to verdict throughout the Southeast. She understands that the key to handling product liability cases is a detailed understanding of the product’s design and utility, and because of her experience and attention to detail, Melody is at home presenting complex engineering concepts to juries in an easy-to-understand fashion, picking apart experts’ theories and defending her clients’ products.
In addition to her product liability practice, Melody regularly represents doctors and hospitals in medical malpractice cases. She also serves as appellate counsel for a number of clients, assisting them not only with appeals but also preparation and oral argument of dispositive and other significant pretrial motions at the trial court level.
Melody, Lightfoot's current managing partner, is the first woman to lead the firm in its history. She is also on the firm's Executive Committee. Melody previously served as the president of the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association (ADLA) in 2012-13, only the third woman ever elected to the office. Melody is also a member of the 2018 Leadership Alabama class.
Melody’s interests outside of work focus primarily on her family, her church, and music. Married to a trial lawyer, she is a proud mother and classically trained musician. Melody plays piano at her church, teaches children’s Sunday school, and serves in various church leadership roles, including a recent election to the Vestry, reflecting her deep commitment to her faith community. In addition to her church activities, she has recently been appointed to the Board of Better Basics, furthering her dedication to educational and community development. Her past volunteer experiences include being a fundraiser for the American Heart Association and serving on the Board of Directors for Magic Moments, a wish-granting organization for children in Alabama with chronic life-threatening illnesses. Melody also enjoys singing, working out her stress on the Peloton, and spending time with her children, who range in age over a 20+ year span.
Experience
Representative Matters
Securing a defense verdict for a gas-valve manufacturer after a two-week jury trial in South Carolina. The plaintiffs, two propane workers who were servicing a tank at the time of a gas explosion, suffered serious life-altering burns and claimed out-of-pocket damages in excess of $3.5 million.
Winning a defense verdict for a family practice doctor in a wrongful death medical malpractice case in Alabama where the patient’s widow alleged that her husband died as a result of the doctor’s prescription of a hormone treatment in combination with a weight loss medication.
Securing the mandamus and reversal by the Alabama Supreme Court of a trial court order allowing an inspection by plaintiffs’ expert of a client’s tire manufacturing plant.
Securing the Rule 702 exclusion of numerous experts in both federal and state court cases, including the exclusion of an expert chemist’s testimony upheld on appeal by both the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals and the Alabama Supreme Court.
Acting as regional counsel for the world’s largest manufacturer and maintainer of people-moving products, including elevators, escalators and moving walkways.
Representing a major appliance manufacturer in fire and serious burn injury cases throughout the Southeast, including cases in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Texas.
Serving as regional counsel for a Fortune 500 worldwide company that manufactures products and provides engineering services for a wide range of industrial, commercial and consumer markets.
News & Insights
Articles
Events
News
Lightfoot Named to 2024 BTI Client Service A-Team, Singled Out For Rapid Advancements in Client Experience
Lightfoot Promotes Amaobi Enyinnia, Benjamin Harmon and Rachelle Sanchez to Partner
Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC Earns ‘Top 20 Trial Law Firm’ for 7th Year and Achieves Multiple Firm and Attorney Honors in Benchmark Litigation’s 2024 Guide
Eleventh Circuit Affirms Major Product Liability Win in Favor of Lightfoot Fortune 500 Automotive Client
Melody Eagan, Lana Olson, Haley Cox Named to Benchmark Litigation ‘Top 250 Women in Litigation - South’ for 2023
Chambers and Partners USA Ranks Lightfoot Practices and Attorneys in 2023 Chambers USA Guide
Lightfoot Achieves Midsize Mansfield Certification Plus Status
Lightfoot Named to BTI Client Service A-Team: Survey of Law Firm Client Service Performance 2023
Lightfoot Named 2023 Benchmark Litigation’s ‘Alabama Firm of the Year’
Lightfoot Promotes Kaitlyn Faucett and Amie Vague to Partner
Lightfoot Recognized as ‘Frequently Recommended’ in BTI’s Most Recommended Law Firms 2022
28 Lightfoot Attorneys Named 2022 Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
Lightfoot Managing Partner Melody Eagan Discusses the Importance of Law Firm Culture on “Everything Except the Law” Podcast
Three Lightfoot Attorneys Named Birmingham “Lawyers of the Year” and 48 Recognized Overall in 2023 Edition of Best Lawyers®
Melody Eagan, Lana Olson and Haley Cox Named to Benchmark Litigation "Top 250 Women in Litigation - South" for 2022
Chambers and Partners USA Ranks Lightfoot Practices and Attorneys in 2022 Guide
Lightfoot Managing Partner Melody Eagan Discusses Women Leading Law Firms on LAWsome Podcast
Lightfoot Wins Summary Judgment in Product Liability Case after Exclusion of Key Plaintiff Expert Witness
31 Lightfoot Attorneys Named 2021 Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
Lightfoot Named to Birmingham Business Journal’s “Best Place to Work” for Fifth Consecutive Year
Three Lightfoot Attorneys Named Birmingham ‘Lawyers of the Year’ and 44 Recognized Overall in 2022 Edition of Best Lawyers®
Managing Partner Melody Eagan Talks Leadership and Business Development at Birmingham Bar Association’s Future Leaders Forum
Melody Eagan Named to Birmingham Business Journal’s “Who’s Who in Law 2021”
Law 360 Pulse Interview: Melody Eagan on COVID-19 Adjustment and What’s Next for Lightfoot
Chambers and Partners USA Ranks Lightfoot Practices and Attorneys in 2021 Guide
32 Lightfoot Attorneys Named 2020 'Mid-South Super Lawyers' and 'Rising Stars' by Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters)
Melody Eagan Named to ‘Top Birmingham Women’ List for 2020 by Birmingham Business Journal
Benchmark Litigation Names 17 Lightfoot Lawyers to 2021 Guide
B-Metro Magazine Names Lightfoot Partners ‘Top Women Attorneys’ for 2020
Two Lightfoot Attorneys Recognized as Birmingham "Lawyer of the Year,” 30 Listed in The Best Lawyers in America© 2021 and Eight Recognized as “Ones to Watch”
Melody Eagan Named to 2020 ‘Who’s Who in Law’ by Birmingham Business Journal
Melody Eagan, Lana Olson and Haley Cox Named to Benchmark Litigation’s ‘Top 250 Women in Litigation’ for 2020
Lightfoot Attorneys Named 2019 Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
Benchmark Litigation Recognizes 15 Lightfoot Attorneys in its 2020 Edition
Melody Eagan and Lana Olson Named to Benchmark Litigation’s ‘Top 250 Women in Litigation’ for 2019
Melody Eagan Named to Birmingham Business Journal’s 2019 ‘Who’s Who in Law’
Three Lightfoot Attorneys Recognized as Birmingham ‘Lawyers of the Year’ and 24 Listed Overall in The Best Lawyers in America© 2020
Six Lightfoot Partners Named to 2019 B-Metro Magazine ‘Top Flight Attorneys’
Lightfoot Attorneys Named 2018 Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
National Law Journal Recognizes Lightfoot Managing Partner Melody Eagan as a 2018 ‘Elite Boutique Trailblazer’
Lightfoot Managing Partner Melody Eagan Selected to Leadership Alabama
Two Lightfoot, Franklin & White Attorneys Recognized as Birmingham ‘Lawyers of the Year’ and 20 Listed Overall in The Best Lawyers in America 2019
B-Metro Magazine Names Melody Eagan, Sara Ford and Lana Olson ‘Top Women Attorneys’
Lightfoot Listed Among Top Five Local Litigation Firms for 2018 by the Birmingham Business Journal
Lightfoot Managing Partner Melody Eagan Recognized in Birmingham Business Journal’s 2018 ‘Who’s Who in Law’
Lightfoot Managing Partner Reads to First Grade Class, Firm Participates in Book Drive for 2018 Birmingham Reads Day
Melody Eagan Assumes Role as Lightfoot’s Managing Partner
Melody Eagan Speaks on ‘Women Lawyers Leading the Way’ Panel
41 Lightfoot Attorneys Named 2017 Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
Melody Eagan Named Managing Partner of Lightfoot, Franklin & White
Four Lightfoot, Franklin & White Attorneys Recognized as Birmingham ‘Lawyers of the Year’ and 19 Listed Overall in 2018 The Best Lawyers in America© Published by Woodward/White, Inc.
Jury Returns a Defense Verdict for Lightfoot’s Client in a Medical Malpractice Case
Thirty-five Lightfoot Attorneys Named 2016 Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars by Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers
Eighteen Lawyers from Lightfoot listed in the ‘Best Lawyers in America’ 2017 by Best Lawyers® by Woodward White, Inc.
Lessons Learned
On Simplifying a Defense
The trial was in rural Mississippi. The plaintiff was burned in a flash fire when she opened her oven door to retrieve some homemade biscuits. One of the volunteer EMTs at the site mentioned seeing tools on the shelf of a nearby propane furnace, as well as some matches and a homemade lighter. The EMT also told our investigator that the plaintiff had said that her husband was fiddling with the furnace that morning, a fact the plaintiff later denied.
When we tested the furnace’s gas control valve, the valve stuck open and leaked — not because of a defect in the valve, but because of a nest built in the valve by Mississippi mud daubers. The plaintiff’s expert had stored this valuable piece of evidence in an open shed. The obvious defense was spoliation after the accident by the plaintiff ’s expert and the lack of any evidence of a defect.
Even though we were armed with a good defense, we could not resist arguing that the plaintiff 's husband caused the gas leak, so we called the EMT as a witness. Little did we know, the EMT was the plaintiff s neighbor and had been sued by the plaintiff because her pet goats had repeatedly feasted in the plaintiff’s yard, leading to a neighborly feud rivaling the Hatfields and McCoys. Unfortunately, as a result, the plaintiff’s counsel successfully made our star witness out to be vindictive rather than credible.
From that day forward, I’ve prepared my cases by asking myself, “Do I really need to go after those tools, or do I risk becoming a goat by 'biting off more than I can chew'?"
Education
Vanderbilt University Law School
(J.D.)
Order of the Coif; Managing Editor, Vanderbilt Law Review
Hendrix College
(B.A., summa cum laude)
Professional Organizations
Alabama Defense Lawyers Association (ADLA)
Alabama Law Foundation, Fellow
Defense Research Institute (DRI)
Leadership Alabama, Fellow, Regional Counsel
Awards
Chambers USA, “Leading Lawyer” for Litigation (Alabama)
Benchmark Litigation, “Local Litigation Star” — Product Liability (2020-21)
Benchmark Litigation, “Litigation Star” (2022-24)
Benchmark Litigation, "Top 250 Women in Litigation" (2019-23)
The Best Lawyers in America© by BL Rankings — Personal Injury Litigation, Product Liability Litigation (2010-24)
The Best Lawyers in America© by BL Rankings, “Lawyer of the Year” for Birmingham — Product Liability Litigation (2023)
Birmingham Business Journal, "Top Birmingham Woman" (2020)
Birmingham Business Journal, “Who’s Who in Law” (2018-21)
B-Metro magazine, “Top Women Attorneys” (2018, 2020)
B-Metro magazine, "Top Flight Attorneys" (2019)
Mid-South Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, "Top 50 Women" (2020)
Mid-South Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters — Product Liability (2011-23)
National Law Journal — Elite Boutique Trailblazer (2018)
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