Practice Areas
Banking and Finance
Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights
Business Litigation
Representative Work
Summary of Representative Work
Professional Experience
Ms. Ford chairs the firm's Business Litigation Group, is a member of the Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights Department, and the Banking and Finance Group. She represents clients on a national level in multiple bankruptcy jurisdictions and focuses on business litigation, both within and outside a bankruptcy context, in state and federal courts. Ms. Ford's recent cases include representation of the Archdiocese of Portland in its precedent-setting Chapter 11, which resulted in a confirmed plan of reorganization, and Multnomah County, Oregon in the Delta and Northwest Airlines bankruptcy cases. She frequently represents clients across the country in Chapter 11 cases including secured and unsecured creditors in the following cases: Montgomery Ward, Regal Cinemas, TWA, Budget Rent-A-Car, MCI World Com, K-Mart, Mainland Marketing and Rocky Mountain Forest Products.
Ms. Ford is admitted to practice in Oregon and Washington, the U.S. District Courts for the District of Oregon, Western District of Washington, Eastern District of Washington and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Her practice focuses on the following areas and industry groups:
- Banking
- Bankruptcy - Chapter 11; Creditor's Rights; Trustee Litigation
- Business Torts
- Contract Litigation
- Corporate and Partnership Disputes and Litigation ("Business Divorce")
- Debtor/Creditor Litigation
- Fraudulent Conveyances and Transfers
- Injunctive Relief and Provisional Process
- Receiverships
- Distributor/Wholesaler/Retailer Litigation
- Fiduciary Liability
- Non-Bankruptcy Workouts
- Post-Judgment Collection
- Real Estate Disputes
- Commercial Landlord/Tenant
- Foreclosures
- Secured Creditor Lien Enforcement (UCC Article 9 Rights)
Honors/Awards
Selected for inclusion in the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® in the practice area of Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law.
Professional Organizations
American Bankruptcy Institute
American Bar Association
Multnomah Bar Association
NW Regional Turnaround Management Association
Board of Directors (2005-2007)
Oregon Banker's Association Associate Member (2007 - Present)
Oregon State Bar
Executive Committe, Debtor-Creditor Section (2007 - Present)
Co-Chair, Debtor-Creditor Section Annual Meeting and CLE (2003 - Present)
Oregon Women Lawyers
Washington State Bar Association
Creditor-Debtor Section
Education
B.A., Lewis and Clark College
J.D., cum laude, Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College
Associate Editor, Environmental Law, the Law Journal of Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College
American Jurisprudence Award Winner, Torts
Civic Organizations
Jesuit High School Mock Trial Team Volunteer Attorney/Mentor
Classroom Law Project
Admitted to Practice
Oregon State Bar
U.S. District Court, Oregon
Washington State Bar
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington
U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Past Speaking Engagements
2008 Creditors Rights Seminar: Weathering the Economic Storm: Sussman Shank LLP
20th Annual Northwest Bankruptcy Institute, Vancouver, B.C.: Secured Creditor Update (2007)
Bankruptcy 2005: State and National Legislative Changes for Northwest Practitioners - Tax Considerations: Oregon State Bar Debtor-Creditor Section Annual Meeting and CLE (2005)
Bankruptcy Litigation, Annual Saturday Session: Oregon State Bar (2002)
Bankruptcy, Oregon Association of Tax Collectors Annual Meeting: Oregon Association of Tax Collectors (2002)
Collecting Judgments: Perils And Practice Tips: Oregon Law Institute (2002)
Creditors' Rights and Protection of Security Interests in Bankruptcy: Sterling Education Services (2002)
Debor-Creditor Practice in State and Federal Courts - Views from the Trench: Oregon State Bar Debtor-Creditor Section Annual Meeting and CLE (Moderator) (2006)
Drafting and Enforcing Commercial Leases in Oregon: Sterling Education Seminars (2007)
International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA) National Conference: Things Just Got a Whole Lot Better - Impact of the 2005 Bankruptcy Amendments on State and Local Taxing Authorities (2006)
NW Turnaround Management Association - Recent Developments in Release of Confidential Information in Sale of Businesses (2006)
Tax Claims in Bankruptcy: Oregon State Bar Tax Section (2003)
Why Bad Things Happen to Good Counties: Sussman Shank LLP
Why Bad Things Happen to Good Counties - Part II - A Survival Guide to Bankruptcy: Sussman Shank LLP (2003)
