Lisa P. Sumner

Lisa has been helping creditors protect and enforce their rights both in and out of court in the Southeast and beyond for nearly three decades by structuring deals to avoid risk and maximize recovery, pursuing effective collection strategies, and defending lender liability claims.

She represents banks, credit unions, private lenders, farm credit associations, equipment financing companies, other creditors, and insurers in matters including receiverships, assignments for the benefit of creditors, loan workouts, collateral recovery and foreclosure, and voluntary and involuntary bankruptcy cases. Her experience spans across industries including retail, manufacturing, agribusiness, construction, energy, health care, professional services, and hospitality, and includes loans guaranteed by the SBA and USDA.

Lisa is licensed and admitted to practice in state and federal courts in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. In bankruptcy courts, she frequently advises clients regarding contested claims, stay relief, cash collateral, valuation and lien disputes, Chapter 11 plans, preference, fraudulent transfer and other adversary proceedings, dischargeability of debts incurred through fraud or for student loans, and Section 363 asset sales and auctions.

In the area of alternative dispute resolution, Lisa has participated in numerous successful mediation conferences and completed training in the collaborative law process pursuant to the NC Collaborative Law Act.

Community & Professional

• Member, Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States

• Co-Chair of Secured Creditors’ Subcommittee, American Bar Association, Business Law Section, Committee on Business Bankruptcy

• Past President and current Board Member, Turnaround Management Association, Carolinas Chapter

• Former Council Member, North Carolina Bar Association, Bankruptcy Section

• Former President, Carolinas Network, International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC)

• Advisory Board Member, Foundation of Hope

Outside Nexsen Pruet

When I’m not in the office I’d rather be outside, riding a horse or spending time with friends and family, including my three children.

Recognition

• Recognized by Chambers USA, Bankruptcy/Restructuring, North Carolina 2014-2022
• Listed in Best Lawyers in America for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/ Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Since 2013;
• Listed in Best Lawyers in America for "Lawyer of the Year" for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law in Raleigh in 2016
• Ranked among Super Lawyers magazine's North Carolina "Super Lawyers" (Bankruptcy), 2014-2020, 2022, 2023; "Rising Stars" (Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights), 2009; Top 50 Women North Carolina "Super Lawyers", 2016-2018
• Ranked in Business North Carolina magazine's "Legal Elite" (Bankruptcy), 2010-2012, 2014, 2015, 2017-2019
• ABA Section of Business Law, Kathryn R. Heidt Memorial Award recipient, 2012

Presentations:

Panelist, Tragedy of a Lender Liability Claim: A Play in Three Parts; American Bankruptcy Institute 27th Annual Southeast Bankruptcy Workshop, Amelia Island, FL (July 2022)

Program Co-Chair, Choosing Your Sandbox: Current Issues Driving Venue Selection in Chapter 11; ABA Business Bankruptcy Committee Fall Meeting in Conjunction with NCBJ, Orlando, FL (October 2022)

Program Co-Chair, Guilty as Surcharged? The 5 W’s of Cost-Shifting in Bankruptcy; ABA Business Law Section Spring Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia (April 2022)

"Go Your Own Way" v. "I Fought the Law and the Law Won" - Intercreditor Agreements and the Bankruptcy Code, NC Bar Association, 41st Annual Bankruptcy Institute (November 2018)

"From Franchise Disclosure Agreements to Chapter 11 Disclosure Statements" Program Chair, ABA Section of Business Law, Spring Meeting (April 2018)

"Target Practice: Lenders in the Crosshairs" - NC Bar Association 2015 Bankruptcy Institute (October 2015)

"Legal Malpractice Landmines" - Lawyers Mutual CLE series, Spring 2015

Student Loan Debt: Innovative Solutions in Bankruptcy, 2015 Festival of Legal
Learning, UNC Chapel Hill (February 13, 2015)

This Could Happen to You: Avoidance and Mitigation of Malpractice Claims in
Bankruptcy, NC Bar Association, Annual Bankruptcy Institute, Asheville, NC (November
2014)

Second Annual Constitution Day Legal Forum, Student Loan Law, Columbia, South Carolina (September 17, 2014)

"Risk Management and Best Practices for Lenders in Real Estate Workouts" (USLAW EduNet Telephone Seminar, 2014)

Publications:

Student Loan Primer and Flowchart, U. S. Bankruptcy Court, District of South Carolina website, court Initiative on Financial Education (Launched March, 2015)

Once Bitten, Twice Shy: Restructuring Payment of Past Due Accounts to Avoid Bankruptcy Preference Liability (USLAW Magazine, 2012, pg 34)