Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg LLP

Carmel draws on her experience as a federal district court clerk and her commercial litigation practice to tackle her cases in a practical and efficient manner, with a focus on understanding the issues that matter most to her clients and the courts.

As an associate in BFKN’s Litigation Group, Carmel concentrates her practice on a wide range of complex litigation matters. Carmel represents clients in a variety of state and federal court lawsuits, including class actions, multidistrict litigations, and appellate briefing. Carmel’s current practice includes defending banks in overdraft fee litigation and challenges to merger acquisitions, representing motor vehicle manufacturers in litigation against dealers, and intellectual property matters ranging from trademark enforcement to defense of false advertising claims.

Prior to joining BFKN, Carmel worked for a large law firm in Chicago. She worked on cases involving health care regulatory compliance, ERISA fiduciary responsibilities, anti-money laundering and consumer fraud, products liability, breach of contract, and trade secrets claims. Additionally, Carmel represented clients in both internal investigations and government investigations brought by enforcement agencies such as the DOJ, SEC, and FTC. She also gained experience as a judicial clerk for the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona where she drafted orders for pre-trial and dispositive motions filed in civil cases, ranging from employment discrimination to insurance coverage disputes to telecommunications law.

Carmel has worked on a range of pro bono matters. In the immigration sphere, she has helped individuals apply for asylum, helped a former-Afghan interpreter apply for humanitarian parole, and worked on Ninth Circuit and Supreme Court appeals seeking to uphold a preliminary injunction barring the Department of Defense from implementing a policy restricting how legal permanent residents join the military. She also represented an incarcerated client bringing an Eighth Amendment and breach of contract claim due to the failure of the prison and its medical team to provide proper care.