The Gardner Law Firm

The Gardner Law Firm was founded by Patricia S. Gardner, Esq. The Gardner Law Firm, Patricia S. Gardner, Esq., LLC, is a New Hampshire Limited Liability Corporation. Attorney Gardner is admitted to practice before New Hampshire's State and Federal Courts and the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit as well as a member of the NH Bar Association and Federal Bar Association. With her prior experience in a large firm and in-house counsel for a national company, Attorney Gardner provides the depth of "big firm" experience at the reasonable billing rates of a small firm. Attorney Gardner is also admitted to practice in Massachusetts (2002), Pennsylvania (1989) (inactive) and New Jersey (1989), and the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Attorney Gardner received a Juris Doctorate from the Rutgers University School of Law in New Jersey, graduating in 1989 with honors. There, she received the American Jurisprudence Award in Advanced Bankruptcy Studies, with highest honors in Bankruptcy Law, Computer Law, Secured Transactions, and Housing and Urban Development. While in law school, she interned for the Chief Judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey, the Honorable William H. Gindin. Thereafter, she served as a Federal Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable G. Donald Haneke, Senior Magistrate Judge in New Jersey, assigned to District Judges Alfred M. Wolin and Honorable John W. Bissell. Prior to founding the Firm in New Hampshire she centered her practice in bankruptcy, business litigation, and representation of financial institutions, practicing before the State and Federal Courts. While co-managing a Creditors Rights team for a large firm, Ms. Gardner successfully litigated complex commercial and insolvency matters that resulted in published decisions i.e. Princeton-N.Y. Investors, Inc., and Seasons Resorts, Inc., v. First Fidelity Bank et. al., 199 B.R. 285 (Bankr. D.N.J. 1996)(represented former Ambassador to France, Pamela Harriman, the Harriman Trusts and Tandem Associates, L.P.); In re Claremont Towers, 175 B.R. 157 (Bankr. D.N.J. 1994)(represented the Chapter 11 debtor); In re Hibbard Brown, 217 B.R. 41 (Bankr. S.D. N.Y. 1998)(represented Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors). Attorney Gardner has successfully filed voluntary and involuntary petitions, including In re Stephen Lawrence (involuntary Chapter 7 filing that converted to Chapter 11) which was resolved in eight months with a dividend to unsecured creditors; and, In re Win-Ray (voluntary Chapter 11), a small business bankruptcy case that successfully reorganized/confirmed within one year. She has represented many Chapter 11 Creditor's Committees, served as counsel to a Chapter 7 Panel Trustee, counsel to creditors of an Assignee in State Assignment proceedings and counsel to the largest creditor in a Chapter 12 proceeding (In re David Buccholz). Attorney Gardner served as Vice President and Corporate Counsel for a national paper company in Massachusetts for ten years where she supervised the company's legal matters and outside counsel. She litigated matters such as human resource related cases, division of unemployment appeals, commercial cases, contract disputes, labor law issues, environmental issues, and copyright infringement cases. Additionally, she was the company's chief labor negotiator for the collective bargaining agreements. Attorney Gardner has written many articles for the New Jersey Law Journal, authored two publications for the New Jersey Institute of Continuing Legal Education on the Bankruptcy Code, and served as an educational panelist with bankruptcy judges and practitioners. Additionally, she currently summarizes recent decisions in bankruptcy law within the First Circuit for the Federal Bar, which is circulated nationally each week for educational purposes.