Holland & Hart Partner Risa Wolf-Smith and Associate Kirk Cheney were appointed as ABI Journal Executive Editor and Coordinating Editor, respectively. Ms. Wolf-Smith has been a member of The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) since 1994, has recently become a member of ABI’s Board of Directors, and has served as co-chair of ABI’s Rocky Mountain Bankruptcy Conference Advisory Board since 2005. Mr. Cheney has been a member of ABI since 2009 and has served on the Litigation Committee since 2011.
Ms. Wolf-Smith provides counsel in the area of Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights, and has led the firm’s Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights Practice group for more than 17 years. She has focused on bankruptcy, business reorganization, business workouts, receiverships, and creditors' rights for over 25 years, including the representation of secured lenders, creditors’ committees, unsecured creditors, asset-purchasers, landlords, franchisors, licensors and licensees. She has also contributed numerous articles to the Journal, including the cover feature for the May 2013 issue. Ms. Wolf-Smith received her J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1985 and her B.A. summa cum laude from Colorado College in 1982, where she was also a Boettcher Scholar.
“I have been extremely proud serving as a member of The American Bankruptcy Institute and am thrilled to be appointed Executive Editor for the ABI Journal,” said Ms. Wolf-Smith. “We have outstanding members and a Board of Directors whose commitment and dedication to sharing their knowledge in bankruptcy law and trends is without measure. Kirk and I agree that this is truly an honor to have been elected to these positions and we look forward to working with the Journal’s team to further our mission.”
Mr. Cheney is a commercial litigator focusing on bankruptcy, creditors' rights, and commercial property disputes. He regularly represents clients in state and federal court actions alleging fraudulent transfers, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, and related claims. In addition, he assists clients with receiverships, foreclosures, and asset purchases and sales. Mr. Cheney is the author of numerous bankruptcy-related publications and is a regular contributor to Holland & Hart's Creditors' Rights Blog. He received his J.D. from Yale Law School in 2009, serving as Staff Editor of the Yale Law Journal, and he received his B.S. from Brigham Young University-Idaho in 2006.