Direct: (312) 261-4555
E-Mail: manderson@frostpearlman.law
Legal Expertise
Melissa focuses her practice on insurance coverage litigation, representing insurance companies, corporate entities, and individuals in all aspects of insurance coverage litigation at the trial and appellate level. The complex insurance matters litigated by Melissa have included all lines of insurance and disputes involving product liability, recall, construction, manufacturing, environmental pollution, and medical malpractice. Melissa is skilled in alternative dispute resolution, having globally resolved multi-party complex coverage disputes. She frequently advises clients on insurance related marketing, claims handling, and underwriting. Melissa also counsels a wide array of businesses on proactive risk avoidance, risk transfer, and risk management strategies.
Melissa’s practice also includes advocating on behalf of sex abuse survivors. Melissa litigates against abusers and the institutions that protect them to empower survivors and hold perpetrators and their institutional protectors accountable.
Education and Achievements
Melissa received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa and J.D. with honors from IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law, where she was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society and received awards for excellence in trial advocacy and alternative dispute resolution. She is a member of the bars of the state of Illinois and the Northern District of Illinois and a member of a number of professional organizations, including the Chicago Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, Claims & Litigation Management Alliance, and Defense Research Institute. Melissa has authored articles and frequently speaks on emerging issues impacting her clients. Recent topics include: Comparison of Bad Faith and Duty to Settle Obligations Across Multiple States; Conflict of Interest and Carrier Obligations; Policy Limits Demands with Multiple Claimants and the Bad Faith Implications; and Risk Transfer Opportunities and the Impact on Insurance Coverage.