Lisa P. Sumner

Lisa helps creditors protect and enforce their rights in and out of court in the Southeast and beyond 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 finance 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, 363 sales, preference, fraudulent transfer and other adversary proceedings, and dischargeability of debts incurred through fraud or for student loans.

In the area of alternative dispute resolution, Lisa has extensive mediation experience 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

• Vice-Chair of the Business Bankruptcy Committee, Business Law Section, American Bar Association

• 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 Maynard Nexsen

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

• Chambers USA, Bankruptcy/Restructuring, North Carolina (2014-Present)
• Best Lawyers in America, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/ Insolvency and Reorganization Law (2013-Present)
• Best Lawyers in America, "Lawyer of the Year" for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law in Raleigh (2016)
• North Carolina Super Lawyers, Bankruptcy (2014-2020, 2022-2025); Rising Stars, Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights (2009); Top 50 Women North Carolina Super Lawyers (2016-2018)
• Business North Carolina "Legal Elite" (Bankruptcy) (2010-2012, 2014-2015, 2017-2019, 2025)
• ABA Section of Business Law, Kathryn R. Heidt Memorial Award (2012)

Presentations:

Presenter, NCBA Real Property Section Hot Topics CLE, "Welcome to the Land of Distress: Dealing with Real Property in Bankruptcy and Receivership" (February 2023)

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)

Publications:

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