Tara J. Schellhorn

Partner

Practice Areas

973.451.8562

tschellhorn@riker.com

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Bio

Tara Schellhorn is a Partner in the Firm’s Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring Group.

Her practice focuses on all aspects of bankruptcy and restructuring, including the representation of debtors, creditors’ committees, trustees, financial institutions, secured lenders, unsecured creditors, and other parties in interest in complex chapter 11 cases. As a result, Tara is well-positioned to advise clients on all aspects of bankruptcy.

Tara also has experience in bankruptcy litigation, including prosecuting and defending nondischargeability, preference, and other avoidance actions. In addition, Tara has significant experience representing clients on complex corporate lending issues, including the representation of indenture trustees in default and bankruptcy situations.

Tara’s practice is not limited to bankruptcy, but also includes civil litigation in both federal and state courts.

Tara holds leadership positions in a number of bankruptcy and insolvency organizations. She is a former Chair of the International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC) New Jersey Network and is U.S. Networks Director for IWIRC’s International Board of Directors. In 2021, Tara was honored with the prestigious Melnick Award, which is awarded annually to a member whose contributions to IWIRC, over an extended period of time, have been truly outstanding and inspiring. Tara is also an active member of the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) and currently serves on their 40 Under 40 Award Steering Committee. She also serves as Co-Chair of the ABI’s Young and New Members Committee and is a Contributing Editor of the ABI Journal, overseeing the “Building Blocks” column.

Additionally, Tara is the Vice Chair of the Lawyers Advisory Committee for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey, which serves as a two-way conduit between the bankruptcy bar and the Board of Bankruptcy Judges in New Jersey.

Prior to joining Riker Danzig, Tara served as Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Raymond T. Lyons, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of New Jersey. Tara earned her law degree, magna cum laude, from Widener University School of Law in 2007. While pursuing her degree, Tara served as Editor-in-Chief of the Widener Law Journal and received the Widener Law Journal Award for Distinguished Legal Scholarship. She was also the recipient of the 2007 American Bankruptcy Institute Medal of Excellence for outstanding performance in her bankruptcy coursework. Tara received her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Gettysburg College in 2004.

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Bar Admissions

New Jersey

New York

Pennsylvania

United States District Court, District of New Jersey

United States District Court, Southern District of New York

United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania

United States District Court, Eastern District of New York

Education

Widener University School of Law - Harrisburg, J.D., magna cum laude, 2007

Gettysburg College, B.A., magna cum laude, 2004

Professional Activities

Vice Chair, Lawyers Advisory Committee for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey

Immediate Past Chair, International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC) - New Jersey Network

Member, Turnaround Management Association

Member, New Jersey Women Lawyers Association

Co-Chair, Morris County Bar Association's Women Lawyers Committee

Communications Manager, American Bankruptcy Institute's Emerging Tech Committee

Member, Board of Advisors of the Widener University Commonwealth Law School

Member, Chester Township Environmental Commission

U.S. Networks Director for the International Board of Directors, IWIRC

Former Chair, IWIRC at the Shore Conference

Coordinating Editor, ABI Journal Editorial Board, “Building Blocks” column

Law 360 Bankruptcy Editorial Advisory Board

Member, Essex County Bar Association

Board Member at Large, Westmont Montessori School (Mendham, NJ)

Trustee, The Educational Foundation of the Chesters

Rankings & Recognitions

In 2021, Tara was honored with the prestigious Melnick Award, which is awarded annually to a member whose contributions to IWIRC, over an extended period of time, have been truly outstanding and inspiring.

Tara received the Best Lawyers in America® “Lawyer of the Year” award in 2023 in the area of Bankruptcy Litigation in the Newark region, an honor given to a single attorney in a particular practice area in each region, annually. Since 2020, Tara has also been included in The Best Lawyers in America in the field of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights Law.

Since 2020, Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business has included Tara in the field of Bankruptcy/Restructuring. Chambers notes that Tara “impresses both clients and peers with her growing bankruptcy practice. She has notable experience in significant Chapter 11 cases.” Chambers also says Tara is “very well respected” and has “impressed both clientele and the market with her technical competence and responsiveness to the changing needs of cases,” as well as her “availability to ensure smooth case management.” Sources say “She’s a tremendous lawyer with impressive skills.” “She is both technically and analytically capable.”

In 2019, the American Bankruptcy Institute honored Tara as one of their “40 Under 40,” a list recognizing emerging leaders in bankruptcy and insolvency practice.

In 2017, Tara was named a “New Leader of the Bar” by the New Jersey Law Journal. A high honor, the Law Journal selects for this recognition attorneys in their second decade of practice whose achievements in the workplace and public service involvement distinguish them from their peers.

In 2013, Tara was selected as the first attorney from New Jersey to participate in the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges (NCBJ) Next Generation Program, an exclusive program designed for up-and-coming bankruptcy attorneys from across the country.

Tara has been included on the Super Lawyers “Rising Star” list for Bankruptcy Law since 2011 by Thomson Reuters.

See Awards and Honors Methodology.

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