Cara Filippelli

Cara Filippelli is a litigation associate who joined Ford O'Brien Landy LLP in 2022. She mainly focuses her practice on commercial and securities litigation, regulatory defense, and white collar criminal defense.

Prior to joining the firm, she gained experience in various civil litigation practice areas through her work as an associate at a boutique civil litigation law firm in Austin, Texas. There, Cara worked on matters in both federal and Texas state courts and gained familiarity with Texas laws, including but not limited to the Texas Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act (TUFTA), Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA), and Texas Securities Act (TSA).

Cara graduated cum laude with her J.D. and a Certificate in Criminal Law from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, Illinois. She also graduated with a Benjamin Hooks Distinguished Public Serve Award for her hours of pro bono work during law school and received a CALI Excellence for the Future Award in her Trial Advocacy class.

During law school, Cara gained experiences in both civil litigation and criminal defense. She spent nearly two years writing briefs for criminal appeals, first through DePaul's College of Law's Advanced Criminal Appeals Clinic, then through two semesters as an intern at the Illinois Office of the State Appellate Defender. Majority of those briefs were submitted to the First District Appellate Court in Chicago. She also served as a research assistant for Emeritus Professor John F. Decker and assisted in summarizing Illinois cases involving substantive criminal law for annual supplements to Illinois Criminal Law: A Survey of Crimes and Defenses (6th ed. LexisNexis 2018), and served as a Senior Citation Staffer for the DePaul Journal for Social Justice.

During law school, Cara also worked as a law clerk for a boutique civil litigation law firm in Northfield, Illinois, where she obtained experience with various types of civil litigation, including but not limited to defense of licensed professionals, economic torts, and insurance coverage. She also served as a judicial extern in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Chancery Division, for the Honorable Franklin U. Valderrama. Prior to law school, Cara spent a year working in the Tax Collection Division of the Travis County Attorney.

Cara received her undergraduate degree in Sociology from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, where she obtained a Rollo Newsom Achievement Award for outstanding sociology students. During her time at Texas State, Cara also interned with a local criminal defense law firm.

Outside of legal practice, Cara enjoys live music, cooking, and spending time with her golden retriever.