Melissa M. Root

Melissa M. Root is a managing partner with Jenner & Block in Chicago. She focuses on representing creditors, committees, debtors, examiners and trustees in complex financial restructuring matters and high-stakes bankruptcy litigation. Ms. Root represented USA Gymnastics in its chapter 11 case, and a significant part of her practice includes representing committees of retired employees. She also counseled the official committee of government retirees in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico’s Title III case, and she previously represented retiree committees in the Budd Co., American Airlines and Walter Energy cases. Ms. Root also frequently represents parties in bankruptcy-related appellate matters. She served as counsel for the prevailing petitioners before the U.S. Supreme Court in Wellness International Network, Limited v. Sharif, and also served as counsel for the American Bar Association in connection with its amicus curiae brief in Executive Benefits Insurance Agency v. Arkinson, and as counsel for the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees in connection with its amicus curiae brief filed in the U.S. Supreme Court in Baker Botts L.L.P. and Jordan, Hyden, Womble, Culbreth & Hozer, P.C. v. Asarco LLC. Ms. Root devotes significant time to pro bono work and currently represents a class of former students in the ITT Technical Institute bankruptcy case. She is active in ABI, for which she serves on the advisory committee for several conferences, and she was honored as one of ABI’s “40 Under 40” in its 2017 inaugural class. Ms. Root is a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy. She received her B.A. magna cum laude in 2000 from Bowling Green State University and her J.D. cum laude in 2003 from the University of Michigan Law School.