Author Profile

Tom Melsheimer

Managing partner, Dallas, Winston & Strawn

Tom Melsheimer is a trial lawyer and managing partner in Winston & Strawn’s Dallas office. Melsheimer represents plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts on both coasts and throughout Texas. He is a frequent commentator on legal issues in Texas newspapers and co-author of "On the Jury Trial: Principles and Practices for Effective Advocacy."

Latest Columns

Demographics

Rejecting historic prejudice: My father’s quiet accomplishment

By Tom Melsheimer, June 18, 2017

I don't want to elevate my Dad in death to something more than he was in life. His good will and tolerance certainly had limits. But he did something that wasn't easy. He left the familiar confines of his hometown and refused to embrace historical racial prejudice. His decision came at a cost. He returned home as an outsider, someone whose attitudes towards race were not "traditional."

Law and Order

An Open Season on Judges

By Craig Smith and Tom Melsheimer, March 8, 2017

Judicial independence is not some quaint custom, like the wig of an English barrister. It’s foundational. From traffic disputes to the U.S. Supreme Court, our judicial system will not work unless parties trust the independent neutrality of judges to enforce the law and thus accept decisions without resorting to unrest or violence, even when they disagree with the result.