Overview

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.

Credentials

Admissions

  • State of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court - Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court - Western District of Michigan

Clerkships

  • Hon. G. Murray Snow, U.S. District Court, District of Arizona (2017-2018)

Education

  • University of Chicago Law School, J.D., with honors, 2017
  • Arizona State University, B.A., History & Political Science, summa cum laude, 2014

Experience

  • Represented major luxury brand in enforcement of intellectual property rights, resulting in stipulated judgment and injunction.
  • Defeated defamation claims brought by an “influencer” against a leading retailer.
  • Obtained favorable settlement after successfully arguing a motion to compel arbitration in case defending a financial services company sued by its business customer alleging improper billing practices.
  • Counsel for auto manufacturer challenging the constitutionality of amendments to the Illinois Motor Vehicle Franchise Practices Act.
  • Represented auto manufacturer in declaratory judgment action against one of its dealers related to enforcement of a prior settlement agreement, resulting in the dealer’s stipulation to the requested declaratory relief adopting auto manufacturer’s interpretation of the prior settlement agreement.
  • Obtained favorable settlement for directors of bank who were sued for breach of fiduciary duty relating to approval of bank merger.
  • Member of team that obtained favorable eve of trial settlement for inmate asserting section 1983 deliberate indifference to medical needs claim.

Newsroom

Recognitions

  • One to Watch, Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (2024-2025)
    • Intellectual Property Law
    • Litigation - Intellectual Property
  • Rubenstein Scholar, University of Chicago Law School

Organizations

  • President, Latino/a Law Students Association, University of Chicago Law School
  • Executive Topics & Comments Editor, The University of Chicago Law Review
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