Elissa D. Miller is a partner in the Bankruptcy & Reorganization practice group at Greenspoon Marder. As a well-established bankruptcy lawyer and fiduciary, Ms. Miller represents secured and unsecured creditors, creditors’ committees, and trustees in both Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases. She is a member of the Chapter 7 Panel of Bankruptcy Trustees appointed by the Office of the United States Trustee in the Central District of California and serves as a Chapter 11 trustee.
Ms. Miller is currently serving as the Chapter 7 Trustee of the infamous law firm of Girardi Keese, where she has recovered millions of dollars in quantum meruit legal fees and on other assets so as to pay off all allowed secured debt and now will be able to make a meaningful distribution to unsecured creditors including former clients whose settlement dollars had been used to finance Thomas Girardi and his wife, real housewife Erika Jayne’s lifestyle; Mark Slotkin, an entrepreneur and the owner of numerous luxury rental properties and Antiquarian Traders, a long-time established antique store and warehouse in Los Angeles, and Weed Cellars, Inc., a business branding alcohol and merchandise with the Weed Celler logo and in which she liquidated valuable intellectual property among many other matters. She has also been named as the Liquidating Trustee under the confirmed Chapter 11 Plan in the case of Jaguar Distribution Corp., a former distributor of films to airlines and cruise ships. Previously, Ms. Miller served as trustee in several high-net-worth individual cases, including In re Nancy Johnson (individual with real property in the Bel Air and Brentwood areas of Los Angeles – creditors paid 100%) and In re Hertz (movie industry executive with property on Point Dume in Malibu – creditors paid 100%). Her experience as a Chapter 11 trustee includes cases such as In Re Arroyo Vision Care, LLC, where she confirmed a Chapter 11 plan and paid creditors 100%.
In her legal practice, Ms. Miller represented the official Committee of Creditors in Chapter 11 cases, including In re Green Fleet, LLC (est. recovery of 42%); In re Sanford Deutsch (100% distribution); and In re Gianulias/Cameo Homes, Inc. (25% recovery in what appeared to be no-asset case). Ms. Miller has represented numerous creditors in all cases, including in healthcare-related cases. She routinely represents other Chapter 7 trustees in a number of cases, including complicated Chapter 7 cases, and is known for her creative problem-solving and her ability to reach consensus settlements and monetize assets.
Ms. Miller counsels a wide array of clients including public and private corporations, financial institutions, high-net-worth individuals, and small businesses, among others. Ms. Miller has practiced law in Los Angeles since 1985. Immediately prior to joining Greenspoon Marder, she spent over 26 years at a boutique bankruptcy firm.
Bar Admissions
- California
Education
- J.D., Southwestern University School of Law, with honors, 1985
- B.A., University of California, Los Angeles, 1977
Professional and Community Involvement
- California Lawyers Association (formerly the education arm of the State Bar of California)
- Executive Committee, Member, 2016-Present
- Business Law Section, Insolvency Law Committee, 2007-2012, Co-Chair, 2011-2012
- Los Angeles Bankruptcy Forum
- Board Member, 2007-Present
- Bankruptcy Battleground West, Advisory Board Member, 2023
- Board President, 2014-2015
- Financial Lawyers Conference, Member
- National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees, Member
- International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation, Los Angeles Chapter Founding Member, 2019-Present
- Imagine LA, Mentor, 2019-Present
- Los Angeles Chapter of Credit Abuse Resistance Education (CARE) (financial literacy program for high school students)
- Board Member
- Executive Committee Member
- Valley Community Healthcare, Board Member/Executive Committee 2013-2023
Recognitions
- Best Lawyers®, “The Best Lawyers in America,” Bankruptcy and Creditor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, 2024-2025
- Daily Journal Corporation, “Top Women Lawyers in California,” 2024
- Lawdragon, “500 Leading Global Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers,” 2024
- Forbes, “America’s Top 200 Lawyers List,” 2024
- Super Lawyers magazine, “Southern California Super Lawyers,” 2006, 2010-2024
- Daily Journal, “Top Women Lawyers in California,” 2023
- Los Angeles Business Journal, “Top 100 Lawyers,” 2023
- Daily Journal, “Top Bankruptcy Lawyer,” 2022
In the News
- Quoted, “AmEx Targeted by Girardi Keese Trustee as Stolen Money Conduit,” Bloomberg Law, January 19, 2023
- Featured, “Top Bankruptcy Lawyers,” Daily Journal, August 24, 2022
News
- Aug 15, 2024 56 Greenspoon Marder Attorneys Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025 Edition
- Jun 21, 2024 Greenspoon Marder Partner Elissa Miller Recognized Among Daily Journal’s Top Women Lawyers 2024
- Jun 21, 2024 Greenspoon Marder Partners Howard Ehrenberg, Elissa Miller, and Victor Sahn Recognized Among the Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers for 2024
- Mar 27, 2024 Greenspoon Marder Partners Elissa Miller and Matthew Ginder Selected to Forbes 2024 ‘America’s Top 200 Lawyers’ List
- Aug 17, 2023 49 Greenspoon Marder Attorneys Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® 2024 Edition
- Jun 30, 2023 Greenspoon Marder Partner Elissa Miller Recognized Among the Daily Journal’s Top Women Lawyers in 2023
- May 19, 2023 Greenspoon Marder Partner Elissa Miller Recognized Among Los Angeles Business Journal’s Top 100 Lawyers 2023
- Jan 9, 2023 Seven Greenspoon Marder Attorneys Recognized by Super Lawyers in Southern California for 2023
- Aug 24, 2022 Greenspoon Marder Partners Elissa Miller and Howard Ehrenberg Selected as Daily Journal’s 2022 Top Bankruptcy Lawyers
- Jul 11, 2022 Greenspoon Marder Expands Bankruptcy Practice Group With The Addition of Nine New Attorneys in Downtown Los Angeles