Lisa Ritchey Craig was appointed Judge, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia on Thursday, March 24, 2016. Prior to her appointment she joined the law firm of McCullough Payne & Haan after serving for over twelve years as a staff attorney for the Standing Chapter 13 Trustee in the Northern District of Georgia. Prior to her representation of the Standing Chapter 13 Trustee, Mrs. Ritchey Craig represented secured mortgage lenders in bankruptcy and foreclosure actions throughout Georgia. She received her J.D. in 1989 from Mercer University, Walter F. George School of Law and a B.A. from Mercer University. She has represented numerous lenders in both core and adversary proceedings throughout Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida. She has also represented numerous financial institutions with respect to motions for use of cash collateral, § 363 sales, § 503(b)(9) issues, preference actions, fraudulent conveyances, and motions for adequate protection or relief from the automatic stay. Mrs. Ritchey Craig has represented financial institutions in appellate litigation at District Court (acting as an appellate court to the bankruptcy court) and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. She has represented lenders as sole, co and amicus counsel and successfully litigated bankruptcy issues at these levels. Mrs. Ritchey Craig has served on The Board of Directors and numerous committees for The Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute. She is the past president. She has also served on the Northern District of Georgia’s bench and bar committee and worked on comments and revisions to the local rules.

Mrs. Ritchey Craig received the Louis C. Brown, Jr. award from the Metro Atlanta Consumer Bankruptcy Attorney Group in 2012 for professionalism and significant contributions to the practice of Bankruptcy Law in the Northern District of Georgia. She writes and speaks on a national and regional basis. She has written and presented programs such as “Select Automobile Lender Issues “ and “Appeals” at the State Bar Business and Consumer Bankruptcy Meeting, “Bankruptcy Appeals” for the NACTT Academy, “Best Practices for Creditor’s Attorneys” at the State Bar Business and Consumer Bankruptcy Meeting, “Crossing Your T’s; Trying Till” at the Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal Symposium, Disposable Income, Commitment Period and 910 Car Claims, Why Can’t We All Get Along, A Reasoned Debate at the NACTT annual conference. She has also regularly spoken in-house to clients to educate internal staff as to current law and its implications to the client.