Melissa Ventrone focuses her practice on class action privacy litigation, privacy breach response (pre- and post-event), payment card industry (PCI) standards and investigation, and advising clients in identifying, evaluating and managing first- and third-party data privacy and security risks. Melissa has represented numerous clients in litigation and arbitration, including in disputes related to privacy, invasion of privacy, contracts, consumer fraud, statutory claims and other matters, using her strong organizational and advocacy skills to obtain the best results for her clients.

Melissa frequently advises clients on compliance with regulations and state, federal and international law. She serves as the leader of Thompson Coburn's breach response team, quickly bringing lawyers, clients, and forensic and breach response vendors together to enhance response time and effectiveness. Melissa has handled numerous breaches for small and large corporations, including merchants, financial institutions, medical providers and educational institutions, successfully reducing public and regulatory scrutiny and protecting her clients’ reputations.

Melissa was featured in the March 1, 2013, Chicago Lawyers Inspiring Innovators series, and was recently quoted in Dark Reading, How to Cushion the Impact of a Security Breach. She is a frequent speaker on data privacy and security, cyber liability and breach response.