Howell W. Melton Jr. is a partner in Holland & Knight's Orlando office. He practices primarily in the areas of contract and business torts litigation. He has substantial experience in the representation of clients in a variety of industries, including biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical technology, media, communications and entertainment. Mr. Melton has prosecuted and defended actions in state and federal courts in matters dealing with unfair competition, trade secrets, interference with contract or prospective economic advantage, trade libel, enforcement of intellectual property rights, noncompetition covenants, marketing practices, franchising and distributorship agreements and antitrust. He has appeared in courtrooms throughout the United States.

At the University of Florida, Mr. Melton was a member of Florida Blue Key (president), Phi Delta Theta (president), Omicron Delta Kappa, Savant, Phi Eta Sigma and Phi Delta Phi. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Melton began his law practice with Holland & Knight in Lakeland. He later practiced in the firm’s offices in Tampa, Sarasota and Bradenton before relocating to Orlando in 1989. He spent much of 2000 through 2002 in the firm's Chicago office. Mr. Melton served as the firm's managing partner from April 2003 to April 2008, splitting his time between the firm's New York and Orlando offices. He retired in 2011.