Home / The Firm / People / Sheila R. Schwager

Sheila R. Schwager

Partner

Location:
Boise
Phone:
208.344.6000
Fax:
208.954.5261
Email:
sschwager@hawleytroxell.com

Biography

Sheila Schwager is Chair of the Creditor Rights/Bankruptcy practice group and a member of the the firm’s Board of Partners. Her practice includes representation of consumer and commercial lenders involving the Uniform Commercial Code, federal and state lending laws, bankruptcies, 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 several times. She represents creditors in bankruptcies, including 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). She is also an Adjunct law professor of Bankruptcy for the University of Idaho.

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 Lawyers – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law (since 2019); Chambers & Partners— Bankruptcy & Restructuring (since 2008); Mountain States Top 50 Women Super Lawyer designation (since 2013), and Idaho Business Review’s Leaders in Law – Partner, and Women of the Year. Sheila also received the Professionalism Award from the Commercial Law & Bankruptcy Section of the Idaho State Bar. She received the Idaho Business Review’s Accomplished Under 40 award and Women’s & Children’s Alliance Tribute to Women & Industry (TWIN) award. 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 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.

BAR ADMISSIONS

Idaho, since 1994

Washington, since 2019

Oregon, since 2017

PROFESSIONAL/COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONS

Idaho State Bar, Governing Board Member of the Commercial Law & Bankruptcy Section, 2002-2008

American College of Bankruptcy, since 2022

Idaho State Bar, Idaho Commercial Law & Bankruptcy Section, since 1994

Idaho State Bar, Chairperson for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court Advisory Committee on Local Rules, 2006-2016

Idaho State Bar, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Advisory Committee on Local Rules 2001-2005

ABI (American Bankruptcy Institute)

American Bar Association

Inns of Court

EDUCATION

Law School:

University of Idaho, J.D. summa cum laude, 1994

Undergraduate:

University of Idaho, B.S. cum laude, 1991

SIGNIFICANT REPRESENTATION

Ms. Schwager represents a number of creditors, including:

  • Glacier Bank
  • Umpqua Bank
  • KeyBank
  • Sunwest Bank
  • First Interstate Bank
  • Mountain West Bank
  • Citizens Community Bank
  • Northwest Bank
  • Agwest Farm Credit, fka Northwest Farm Credit
  • Banner Bank
  • Bank of Idaho
  • Idaho First Bank
  • Farm Credit Services of America
  • Construction Loan Services
  • Boise Cascade
  • J.R. Simplot Company
  • CHS Capital
  • Crop Production Services/ Nutrien Ag Solutions
  • CNH
  • Idaho Trust Bank
  • BMW Financial Services
  • Volvo Financial
  • Producers Livestock
  • Bankruptcy Trustees
  • Special Deputy Counsel for the State of North Dakota
  • Western States Equipment Company
  • Pioneer Federal Credit Union

Related Insights

Tips for Lenders in Using SNDAs, Tenant Estoppel Certificates, and Lease Review Forms

Commercial real estate loans, by their nature, often are collateralized by real property in which third parties to the loan have concurrent interests and estates.…

Read

Equity Pledges in Real Estate Lending

More and more lenders are adding equity pledges as credit enhancements to commercial real estate loans. This structure combines the benefits of commercial real estate…

Read

Exceptions to Discharge Apply only to Individuals Even in a “Cramdown” Subchapter V, Chapter 11 Case

In a recent opinion, the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Idaho addressed an issue our clients frequently inquire about: whether a business’s debts can…

Read

Why am I hearing LIBOR in the news?

If your practice touches finance, you have probably heard the noise about the upcoming change in LIBOR. This article is a short overview of the…

Read