Sheila Schwager is chair of the Creditor Rights/Bankruptcy practice group and a member of the firm’s Board of Partners. Her practice includes representation of consumer, agricultural, and commercial lenders involving the Uniform Commercial Code, the Bankruptcy Code, federal and state lending laws, foreclosures, collections, workouts, and the defense of lender liability claims. She has extensive experience with State and Federal consumer protection laws on behalf of creditors, including federal and state telemarketing laws, credit reports, Fair Debt Collection Procedure Act, and loan workouts.
Sheila is licensed to practice in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. She participates in litigation and trials in California and has appeared before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She represents creditors in the defense of bankruptcy preference actions across the United States, such as ARAMARK Uniform and Career Apparel, LLC. She is a member of the ABI (American Bankruptcy Institute).
In the spring of 2022, Sheila was the first woman in Idaho inducted into the American College of Bankruptcy, a prestigious invitation based on a proven record of the highest standard of expertise, leadership, integrity, professionalism, scholarship, and service to the bankruptcy and insolvency practices and to their communities.
Sheila’s work within the legal community has been recognized by Best Lawyer – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Chambers & Partners— Bankruptcy & Restructuring (since 2008); Mountain States Top 50 Women Super Lawyer designation. Sheila also received the Professionalism Award from the Commercial Law & Bankruptcy Section of the Idaho State Bar. Sheila conducts pro bono services for the Idaho State Bar, including CASA, participating in the Bankruptcy Hotline, acting as an arbitrator for attorney fee dispute cases between local attorneys and their clients, and is involved with I-CARE, an educational group of professionals working with high schools to provide credit issue counseling and education. She participated as an Attorney Mentor in Youth Court and in mock trial presentations for local high schools.
Sheila received the Idaho Business Review’s Accomplished Under 40 award, Leaders in Law, Partner and Women of Year; and Women’s & Children’s Alliance Tribute to Women & Industry (TWIN) award. Sheila is a graduate of the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Boise Program, and she served on the Idaho Humane Society’s Board of Directors where she was a past-President.
Significant Representation
Ms. Schwager represents a number of creditors including:
- Bank of Idaho
- Bankruptcy Trustees
- BMW Financial Services
- Boise Cascade
- CHS Capital, LLC
- CHS, Inc.
- Citizens Community Bank
- CNH
- Columbia Bank
- Crop Production Services/ Nutrien Ag Solutions
- Farm Credit Services of America
- First Interstate Bank
- Glacier Bank
- Idaho First Bank
- Idaho Trust Bank
- J.R. Simplot Company
- KeyBank
- Mountain West Bank
- Northwest Bank
- Northwest Farm Credit Services
- Producers Livestock
- Special Deputy Counsel for State of North Dakota
- Sunwest Bank
- Volvo Financial
Education
LAW SCHOOL: University of Idaho, J.D., summa cum laude, 1994
UNDERGRADUATE: University of Idaho, B.S., cum laude, 1991
