Melanie J. Vartabedian

Melanie has extensive experience and involvement in government-appointed receiverships. Most recently, she represented the receiver in Securities and Exchange Commission v. American Pension Services et al., Case 2:14-cv-00309-RJS-DBP (D. Utah), a receivership involving over $350 million in assets and 5,500 defrauded investors across the country. She has prosecuted fraudulent transfer actions on behalf of the receiver in SEC receiverships, and has defended clients sued by various receivers in regards to fraud-related tort claims.

Melanie is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion issues. She served as co-leader for Ballard Women—Ballard Spahr’s national women’s group-- for seven years, where she developed programming for the firm’s women lawyers across the country. She is a member of Ballard Spahr’s internal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council, where she works closely with the firm’s Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer to implement firm-wide diversity initiatives. Her Diversity and Inclusion work includes advising corporate clients with respect to their internal and external diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and practices.