40 Under Forty 2021

2021

MICHELLE PARTHUM

She was one of the most talented lawyers I have ever worked with.” M ichelle Parthum has that rarest of talents: She takes on complex cas-

She handles appeals too. Parthum has significant experience in structured finance litigation, having repre- sented investors in precedent-setting res- idential mortgage-backed securities “put- back” litigation. She also has considerable experience in securities litigation on both the plaintiff and defense side, having suc- cessfully defended a global financial insti- tution against a securities class action that traveled through the U.S. Supreme Court and the Second Circuit, and also acted as appellate counsel for a putative class ap- pealing the dismissal of their securities claims in the Fifth Circuit. Parthum’s performance has earned her praise.”Michelle is an exceptional lit- igator,” said Jane VanLare, partner with Cleary Gottlieb. “She is smart, strategic, dedicated and a fantastic oral advocate for her clients. She was one of the most talented lawyers I have ever worked with.” According to Michelle’s co-counsel in another matter, “Michelle came through in a big way…. She was very responsive, clear in her analysis and insightful into our adversary’s motivations.” A former public school teacher, Par- thum takes particular interest in mento- ring and training other lawyers. She has served as a faculty member at the Uni- versity of Chicago Law School’s Intensive Trial Practice Workshop and in the past year has prepared and presented four dif- ferent CLEs on topics ranging from depo- sition skills to attorney-client privilege to well-being and resilience for lawyers.

es, reduces them to their most essential points and is then able to communicate these points effectively to her clients, judges and juries. This ability, combined with Parthum’s legal smarts, work ethic and dedication to her clients, explains why Parthum has gained such an outstanding reputation among her clients and peers. In a rel- atively short legal career, Parthum has achieved great success as a commercial litigator across a broad array of industries in the city of Chicago and beyond. Following a prestigious clerkship on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, she cut her teeth at New York’s Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. She joined MoloLamken believing she could play a bigger role in solving clients’ complex problems sooner. And she has. Parthum is no stranger to big cases. Her matters have involved billions of dol- lars, multi-jurisdiction disputes, and cut- ting-edge issues like the rights to ancient artifacts held by the University of Chicago. Parthum has substantial trial experi- ence, having tried multiple federal cases to jury verdicts, delivering opening and clos- ing statements, and conducting witness examinations. Her experience includes a six-week bankruptcy trial conducted si- multaneously before courts in the United States and Canada to determine the allo- cation of over $7 billion among the debt- or estates of a multinational corporation.

FIRM MoloLamken LLP

LAW SCHOOL Washington University School of Law AREA OF PRACTICE Complex commercial litigation

40 Under Forty 2021 CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN