Elizabeth Janczak

Elizabeth L. Janczak is a partner in the Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Practice of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP in Chicago. She previously was a partner at Freeborn & Peters, which combined with the firm in 2023. Ms. Janczak has represented creditors’ committees, debtors, post-confirmation trustees, and creditors in a variety of chapter 11 proceedings, including § 363 sale transactions, chapter 11 plan confirmation, executory contract litigation, breach-of-fiduciary-duty litigation, and various chapter 5 avoidance actions. In addition to her restructuring experience, she is experienced in chapter 7 liquidation proceedings, having represented trustees and creditors in avoidance action litigation, involuntary petitions for bankruptcy relief, nondischargeability actions and appellate proceedings. In addition to her bankruptcy practice, Ms. Janczak has represented plaintiffs and defendants in litigation arising under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) in federal courts across the country and before the USDA. She also has vetted PACA claims in chapter 11 cases as both special PACA counsel to the debtor and as creditors’ committee counsel. Before joining Freeborn, Ms. Janczak was a staff law clerk for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois and for Hon. Bruce W. Black. She received her B.A. magna cum laude from Loyola University and her J.D. magna cum laude from University of Illinois College of Law, where she was a recipient of the Harno Scholar and the CALI Excellence Award, and a notes editor of the University of Illinois Journal of Law, Technology & Policy.