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 currently serves as Finance Director of the International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC) New Jersey Network. She is a former chair of IWIRC 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 has served in a variety of roles including co-chairing the Young and New Members Committee and Emerging Industries and Technology Committee, as well as serving as a member of the 40 Under 40 Award Steering Committee. She is also a Coordinating Editor of the ABI Journal’s “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.
Tara is an editorial board member for Thomson Reuters’ 2024 book Strategic Alternatives For And Against Distressed Businesses. Updated annually, the book provides state-by-state comparisons of assignments for the benefit of creditors and receiverships.
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.
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 New York
United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Education
Widener University School of Law - Harrisburg, J.D., magna cum laude, 2007
Gettysburg College, B.A., magna cum laude, 2004
Professional Activities
Chair, Bankruptcy Chapter 11 Local Rules Committee for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey
Vice Chair, Lawyers Advisory Committee for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey
Member, Bankruptcy Appeals Committee to the United States District Court, District of New Jersey
Finance Director, International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC)
Former Chair, IWIRC New Jersey Network
Former Chair, IWIRC at the Shore Conference
Co-Chair, American Bankruptcy Institute's (ABI) Emerging Industries and Technology Committee
Coordinating Editor, ABI Journal Editorial Board, “Building Blocks” column
Editorial Board Member, Thomson Reuters' Strategic Alternatives For and Against Distressed Businesses (2024 edition)
Councilwoman, Chester Township Council
Member, Board of Advisors of the Widener University Commonwealth Law School
Board Member at Large, Westmont Montessori School (Mendham, NJ)
Treasurer, The Educational Foundation of the Chesters
Member, New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Character
Member, Morris County Bar Association
Member, New Jersey Women Lawyers Association
Member, Turnaround Management Association
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.
Since 2020, Tara has also been included in The Best Lawyers in America®, a peer review of U.S. lawyers, for the Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights Law and Bankruptcy Litigation fields. In addition, Tara received the Best Lawyers ® “Lawyer of the Year” award in 2023 in the area of Bankruptcy Litigation in the Newark region; this is an honor given to a single attorney in a particular practice area in each region, annually.
Since 2020, Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business has included Tara in the field of Bankruptcy/Restructuring.
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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