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Christopher E. Ng

Managing Partner
12100 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 300,
Los Angeles, California 90025
2801 Townsgate Road, Suite 212,
Westlake Village, CA 91361-5965

310-734-3367

cng@gibbsgiden.com

Overview Professional Memberships Speaking Engagements Publications Representative Matters Honors And Awards

Professional Experience

Christopher Ng is the managing partner of Gibbs Giden. Chris primarily represents companies in a wide range of business, commercial and construction transactions and disputes. Chris is a member of the State Bar of California, Texas, and District of Columbia and licensed to practice in all California state and federal courts.  Chris is also an educator, active speaker, published author and frequent contributor to local, regional and national legal publications. For his achievements, Chris was recently named a “Legal Visionary” by the Los Angeles Times and a “Leader of Influence” by the Los Angeles Business Journal, and has been named a “Rising Star” and “Superlawyer” by Los Angeles Magazine and Super Lawyers® (Thomson/Reuters) regularly since 2009 (including again in 2025).

Chris is nationally recognized in the field of construction law and regularly pens articles and contributes to treatises for construction industry professionals and other lawyers including publications by ENR Engineering News-Record, Wolters Kluwer Law & Business (California Construction Law), BNi® (Acret’s California Mechanics Lien Laws), the California Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB) (California Mechanics Liens and Related Construction Remedies and California Construction Contracts, Defects and Litigation), Business Credit Magazine, and the American Bar Association (ABA) Forum on Construction Law.

In addition to his current position as an Adjunct Professor of Business Law at the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics and Graduate Business Program at California State University Northridge, Chris has taught the Legal Environment of Business at Pepperdine University and is a guest lecturer of construction law at Loyola Law School (Los Angeles).  Chris is also a frequent speaker and educator on construction law for organizations including the ABA, National Association of Credit Management (NACM), Los Angeles County Bar Association, Credit Management Association (CMA), Levelset, and Lorman Education Services, and has been a featured speaker at several annual ABA Forum on Construction Law meetings across the country.  For more than a decade, Chris has served on the Division 9 Steering Committee of the ABA Forum on Construction Law primarily representing the interests of specialty trade contractors and suppliers in the construction industry on a national and global basis. Since 2015, Chris has also served on the ABA Forum’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, dedicated to raising awareness and understanding of the vital role diversity plays in the industry.

PRACTICE AREAS

Education

  • Pepperdine University School of Law (J.D., cum laude), 2001
  • Judicial Clerk for The Honorable Lawrence J. Mira, The Honorable James A. Albracht, The Honorable Terry J. Adamson, Los Angeles County Superior Court, West District, 1999-2000
  • California State University, Northridge (B.S., Business Administration, magna cum laude), 1998

Bar Admissions

  • District of Columbia, 2011
  • U.S. District Courts, Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts of California, 2002
  • California Bar No. 216969, 2001
  • U.S. District Courts Central, 2001

Academia and Teaching

  • Adjunct Professor of Business Law, David Nazarian College of Business and Economics at California State University, Northridge, 2005-present 
  • Adjunct Professor of Business Law and Ethics, Pepperdine University, 2016-2017
  • Guest Lecturer on Construction Law, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, California

Professional Memberships

  • State Bar of California (Bar No. 216969, Admitted 2001)
  • District of Columbia Bar (Bar No. 999805, Admitted 2011)
  • United States District Court, Central District of California (Admitted 2001)
  • United States District Court, Eastern District of California (Admitted 2002)
  • United States District Court, Northern District of California (Admitted 2002)
  • United States District Court, Southern District of California (Admitted 2002)
  • American Bar Association
    • Division 9 (Subcontractors & Suppliers), Steering Committee, Forum on Construction Law (2013 to present)
    • Diversity Committee, Forum on Construction Law (2015 to present)
    • Advisory Committee Member for the Forum on Construction Law 2017 National Mid-Winter Meeting

Speaking Engagements

  • Presenter, Handle.com (August 21, 2025, Webinar) Topic: Bankruptcy, Preference Claims, and You! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUcS-F_Ph6M
  • Presenter, NACM Commercial Services (March 24, 2025, Webinar) Topic: California Consumer Protection Laws Now Apply to Commercial Credit Transactions and Debts
  • Presenter, NACM Southwest (February 27, 2025, Webinar) Topic: SB 1286: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
  • Presenter, LBM Journal Webinar (January 21, 2025, Webinar) Topic: Bankruptcy, Preference Claims, and You!
  • Presenter, 2024 Credit in the West, NACM Commercial Services (November 7, 2024, Anaheim, CA) Topic: The Battle of the Forms
  • Presenter, National Association of Credit Management’s 128th Annual Credit Congress & Expo (June 9-12, 2024, Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada) Topic #1: Shieding Your Bottom Line: Mastering Risk Transfer in Construction Documents; Topic #2: Getting Paid (and Holding onto Your Money!) When Your Customer is Insolvent or Bankrupt
  • Presenter, 24th Annual CMA Southwest Business & Construction Credit Conference (May 9, 2024, Online) Topic #1: Navigating Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Topic #2: Here we go Again: Preference Claims
  • Presenter, NACM Commercial Services (May 8, 2024, Webinar) Topic: Preference Claims 101
  • Presenter, Handle.com Building Blocks Summit (October 10, Sacramento, CA) Topic: California Mechanics Lien Law
  • Presenter, NACM Commercial Services, West Coast Apparel and Footwear Industry
  • (October 10, 2023, Webinar) Topic: Navigating Insolvency and Bankruptcy
  • Presenter, CMA CreditScape Conference  (October 4, 2023, Las Vegas, NV) Topic: Navigating Insolvency and Bankruptcy
  • Presenter, National Association of Credit Management’s 127th Annual Credit Congress & Expo (June 11, 2023, Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, Grapevine, Texas) Topic: Managing Construction Suppy Chain Issues
  • Presenter, 23rd Annual CMA Southwest Business & Construction Credit Conference  (May 9, 2023, Online) Topic #1: The Battle of the Forms and Contract Issues; Topic #2: Best Practices with Credit Agreements
  • Presenter, 2023 Cardlock Fuel Network Conference (April 19, 2023, Palm Springs, CA) Navigating Crazy in an Insane World: Recession-Proofing your Company in 2023 and Beyond
  • Co-Presenter, NACM Commercial Services (January 25, 2023, Webinar) Topic: Everything You Need to Know About the Credit Application (presented with Thea Dudley, Pocket Protectors LLC) 
  • Presenter, CMA CreditScape Conference (September 22, 2022, Las Vegas, NV) Topic #1: The Battle of the Forms; Topic #2: Getting Back to Good Credit Practices for 2022 and Beyond
  • Presenter, NACM Commercial Services Western Credit Conference (September 23, 2022, Bahia Resort & Spa, San Diego, CA) Topic: Supplier’s Guide to Surviving the Construction Industry in 2022 and Beyond
  • Panelist, American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law (Division 1) (June 23, 2022, Toolbox Talk Series (Construction Litigation & Dispute Resolution) Topic: Desperate Measures: Using Prejudgment Remedies to Secure Payment & Gain Traction”
  • Presenter, NACM Commercial Services (May 17, 2022, Webinar) Topic: DBE Fraud: What Should Contractors and Suppliers Do Now to Avoid Civil and Criminal Liability?
  • Presenter, NACM Commercial Services, Metals Industrial Supply Group (April 21, 2022, Webinar) Topic: The [First] 10 Commandments of Commercial Credit and Supply Chain Issues
  • Presenter, NACM Secured Transaction Services (April 18, 2022, Webinar) Topic: California Contractor’s License Law
  • Presenter, NACM Commercial Services (December 7, 2021 (Northcentral) Topic: The [First] 10 Commandments of Commercial Credit and Supply Chain Issues
  • Presenter, NACM Secured Transaction Services (November 9, 2021) Topic: Legal and Practical Implications of Supply Chain Issues (Construction Credit Thought Leaders Meeting)
  • Presenter, Pepperdine Caruso School of Law (September 29, 2021) Topic: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in Law Firms
  • Co-Presenter, National Human Resources Association (NHRA) (June 30, 2021) Topic: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion – First Things First: Key Steps for Starting, Re-Starting, or Evaluating Their DEI Journey
  • Presenter, National Association of Credit Management (February 25, 2021, Online) Topic: A Supplier’s Guide to Navigating Nonpayment, Insolvency, and Bankruptcy Issues: Restructuring Debt and Securing Repayment Plans; Enhancing Prelawsuit Collection Efforts; Dealing with the Insolvent Customer and Bankruptcy (strategies in how to avoid preference claims, squeezing “blood from a turnip,” and basic bankruptcy law)
  • Presenter, NACM Commercial Services (November 4, 2020 (Northwest); December 16, 2020 (Northcentral) Topic: The [First] 10 Commandments of Commercial Credit
  • Panelist, LBM Journal (December 15, 2020) Topic: Credit Cage Match: Tough Questions, Solid Answers
  • Presenter, Levelset California CLE Course  (October 28, 2020, Online) Topic: How to Get Paid on California Construction Projects – The Advanced
  • Presenter, American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law (September 3, 2020, Online) Topic: The Crosno Case and Narrowing of Contingent Payment Clauses in Construction Contracts
  • Presenter, National Association of Credit Management Credit and Collection Series (August 4, 2020 through August 25, 2020) Part I: The Credit Process; Part II: The Importance of a Credit and Collection Policy; Part III: When to Take the Next Step; Part IV: Enforcement of Judgments
  • Presenter, Credit Management Association (CMA) (June 24, 2020, Webinar) Topic: The California Consumer Privacy Act
  • Presenter, National Association of Credit Management’s 124rd Credit Congress & Expo (June 10, 2020, Online) Topic #1: Caught in the Middle: DBE Fraud Issues for the Supplier; Topic #2: Navigating Force Majeure Issues in the Wake of COVID-19
  • Co-Presenter, National Association of Credit Managers (NACM) Credit Learning Center (June 3, 2020, Webinar); Topic: The Pandemic: Impact on Construction & Suppliers
  • Co-Presenter, LBM Journal Webinar (May 26, 2020) Topic: What Your Attorney Wishes You Knew About Credit and Cashflow
  • Presenter, City Attorneys Association of Los Angeles County (CAALAC) (April 23, 2020, Webinar) Topic: Insurance, Force Majeure, and Dispute Resolution in the Age of Pandemics: This “shelter in place” live streaming seminar explored insurance, force majeure, and dispute resolution issues triggered by the COVID-19 epidemic, lockdowns, and the disruption of services. 
  • Panelist, American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law (Division 9) (April 15, 2020, Webinar) Topic: The Impact of COVID-19 on Property Owners, General Contractors, Subcontractors and Suppliers
  • Presenter, West Coast Apparel & Footwear Credit Association, NACM Commercial Services (April 14, 2020, Webinar) Topic: Coronavirus (COVID-19): The Impact on Commercial Contracts
  • Presenter, Credit Management Association (CMA) (April 2, 2020, Webinar) Topic: Things You NEED to Know About California Lien Law During the Coronavirus Pandemic
  • Presenter, Levelset (March 26, 2020, Webinar) Topic: What Most Don’t Understand About California Lien Rights
  • Presenter, National Association of Credit Management (NACM) Commercial Services (March 23, 2020, Webinar) Topic: Coronavirus (COVID-19): The Impact on Business Contracts
  • Presenter, Levelset (March 20, 2020, Webinar) Topic: Coronavirus & Construction: How to Get Paid During Project Suspensions and Terminations
  • Presenter, National Association of Credit Management (NACM) Commercial Services (March 11, 2020, Webinar) Topic: Getting Back to Good Credit Practices in the Face of the Coronavirus and Related Economic Uncertainty
  • Presenter, National Association of Credit Management (NACM) Commercial Services (February 24, 2020, Webinar) Topic: The Battle of the Forms and Contract Issues for the Credit Professional
  • Presenter, Levelset (December 18, 2019, Webinar) Topic: Nuts & Bolts of California’s Mechanics Lien Law
  • Presenter, Credit Management Association (CMA) (July 19, 2019, Fremont, CA) Topic: DBE Fraud and the Construction Industry Supplier’s Dilemma
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  • Presenter, National Association of Credit Management 123rd Annual Credit Congress & Exp (May 22, 2019, Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center, Denver, Colorado) Topic: Advanced Collection Techniques in the Construction Industry
  • Presenter, National Association of Credit Management (NACM) Education Roadshow (April 15-16, 2019, Anaheim, CA and Sacramento, CA) Topic: Renewing Your Commitment to Good Commercial Credit Practices: The Importance of Sticking to Your Credit Policy; The Fable of the “Secured” Account; Insisting on Complete and Enforceable Credit Applications and Agreements; Ensuring Your Terms and Conditions Control Every Transaction; Embracing and Conquering Challenging Credit and Legal Principles; Restructuring Debt and Securing Repayment Plans; Enhancing Prelawsuit Collection Efforts; Dealing with the Insolvent Customer and Bankruptcy (strategies in how to avoid preference claims, squeezing “blood from a turnip”, and basic bankruptcy law); Fulfilling Your Role as the Gatekeeper; Maximizing Postjudgment Collection; and How to Efficiently and Effectively Utilize Your Attorney
  • Presenter, National Association of Credit Management (NACM) Commercial Services Webinar (February 22, 2019) Topic: The Battle of the Forms
  • Speaker, American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law, 2019 Midwinter Meeting (January 30, 2019, Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles, California)Topic: “Show Me the Money! Help Me, Help You Get Paid on Public Jobs”
  • Presenter, National Association of Credit Management (NACM) Commercial Services Webinar (November 16, 2018) Topic: The [First] Ten Commandments of Commercial Credit
  • Presenter, Credit Management Association (CMA) Webinar (November 9, 2018) Topic: California Advanced Mechanics Lien Law
  • Presenter, Credit Management Association (CMA) – Solar Industry Credit Group Meeting (October 19, 2018, Los Angeles, California) Topic: 2018 Green Energy and Solar Law Update – Review of new California green energy laws (including SB 100 and California Energy Commission’s new Energy Efficiency Standards)
  • Presenter, Credit Management Association (CMA) – Southern California Joint Construction Suppliers Industry Credit Group Meeting (October 11, 2018, Anaheim, California) Topic: 2018 California Construction Law Update – Review of new California legislation and case law impacting the California material suppliers
  • Presenter, National Association of Credit Management (NACM) Commercial Services – West Coast Apparel and Footwear Credit Association Group Meeting (October 10, 2018, Commerce, California) Topic” “Bulletproofing” Your Credit Application and Sales Agreement
  • Presenter, National Association of Credit Management (NACM) Commercial Services Webinar (September 18, 2018) Topic” “Bulletproofing” Your Credit Application and Sales Agreement
  • Speaker, Credit Management Association (CMA) – Northern California Joint Construction Suppliers Industry Credit Group Meeting (May 17, 2018, Livermore, CA), Northern California Electrical Industry Meeting (May 18, 2018, Fremont, CA), and Northern California Metals Industry Meeting (July 12, 2018, Pleasanton, CA) Topic: The [First] Ten Commandments of Credit in the Construction Industry.
  • Presenter, National Association of Credit Management (NACM) – NACM Business Credit Services and Southwest Business Credit Services Webinar (July 11, 2018) Topic: Defining Terms and Credit Policies.
  • Speaker, CreditScape 2018 Spring Summit (April 5, 2018, Orange County, CA) Topic: A Review of Statutes and Case Law Affecting the California Construction Industry in 2018 and Beyond.
  • Speaker, Credit Management Association (CMA) (March 13, 2018, Webinar) Topic: California Mechanics Lien Law – properly utilizing the mechanics lien, stop payment notice, payment bond, and contractors’ license bond claims.
  • Speaker, Central California Builders Exchange Conference (February 6, 2018, Fresno, CA) Topic: California Mechanics Lien Law for Owners, Direct Contractors, Subcontractors and Material Suppliers – Techniques on how to assert and handle statutory and contractual payment claims on California private and public works of improvement.
  • Speaker, Credit Management Association (CMA) – Northern California Joint Construction Suppliers Industry Credit Group Meeting (September 21, 2017, Livermore, California) Topic: Advanced Collection Techniques in the Construction Industry – Enhancing prejudgment and post-judgment collection efforts and how to efficiently and effectively utilize your attorneys.
  • Speaker, CSUN Alumni Association (September 6, 2017, Encino, California) Fundamentals of Modern Construction Law – Best practices at representing owners, contractors, and suppliers in today’s market during the contracting, contract administration and close out stages of a project.
  • Speaker, Credit Management Association (CMA) (June 21, 2017, Los Angeles, California Topic: California Advanced Lien Law – Advanced techniques including the mechanics lien, stop payment notice and payment bond claims, designed to enhance prejudgment and post-judgment collection efforts on California private and public works of improvement.
  • Speaker, Credit Management Association (CMA) – Southern California Joint Construction Suppliers Industry Credit Group Meeting (October 13, 2016, Commerce, California)Topic: Advanced Collection Techniques in the Construction Industry – Enhancing prejudgment and post-judgment collection efforts and how to efficiently and effectively utilize your attorneys.
  • Speaker/Panelist, CreditScape 2016 Fall Summit (September 22-23, 2016, Sonoma, CA) Topic 2: How Do You Get To Yes? (Utilizing payment processing tools, guarantees, escrow agreements, UCCs, credit insurance, letters of credit, spot factoring, alternative financing options and other legal enhancement. Topic 1: What Parts of the Cash-to-Cash Cycle Can you Improve? (Improving pre-checks for the sales department, inventory to ship, credit and AR management, collections and disputes, invoice administration and other processes).
  • Speaker, Credit Management Association (CMA) (March 4, 2016, Fairfield, California; April 22, 2016, Glendale, California)Topic: California Advanced Lien Law – Advanced Collection Techniques for Construction Industry Suppliers and Contractors; enhancing prejudgment and post-judgment collection efforts with an emphasis on California’s Mechanics Lien Law, and how to efficiently and effectively utilize your attorneys.
  • Speaker, Credit Management Association (CMA) (February 4, 2016, Webinar) Topic: Basic Lien Law – The Fundamentals of California’s Mechanics Lien Law.
  • Speaker, ABA Forum on Construction Law – (2015 Annual Meeting, Boca Raton, Florida), Topic: The Construction Lawyer’s Bucket List – Warranties, Guarantees and Statutes of Limitation.
  • Speaker, Credit Management Association (CMA)– (April 2015, Burbank, California), Topic: The Battle of the Forms and Commercial Law Issues.
  • Speaker, Credit Management Association (CMA) (March 12, 2015, Burbank, California), Topic: Nuts & Bolts of California Construction Law.
  • Speaker, Credit Management Association (CMA) (March 6, 2015, Milpitas, California), Topic: California Construction Payment Remedies–Essential Collection Rights and Remedies.

Publications

 

  • Co-author, California Construction Law – 19th Edition, Chapter 12 – Bankruptcy in the Construction Industry (Wolter Kluwer Law & Business 2012-2025).
  • Update Author and Contributor, California Construction Contracts, Defects and Litigation, Chapter 13 – Construction Defects: Contribution, Equitable Indemnity and Good Faith Settlement (Continuing Education of the Bar, California 2017-2025).
  • Contributor, Finding Solutions – Specialty Contracting Roundtable, ENR Engineering News-Record (September 25 / October 2, 2017).
  • Pay-When-Paid: Courts Hold a ‘Reasonable Time’ Now Has to Be Reasonable Business Credit Magazine (May 2020)
  • Construction Industry Credit Is Not for the Faint of Heart, Business Credit Magazine, May (2019)
  • Co-author, California Construction Law – 18th Edition, Chapter 12 – Bankruptcy in the Construction Industry (Wolter Kluwer Law & Business 2019).
  • Update Author and Contributor, California Construction Contracts, Defects and Litigation, Chapter 13 – Construction Defects: Contribution, Equitable Indemnity and Good Faith Settlement (Continuing Education of the Bar, California – 2017-2018).
  • Contributor, Finding Solutions – Specialty Contracting Roundtable, ENR Engineering News-Record (September 25 / October 2, 2017).
  • Co-author, California Construction Law – Seventeenth Edition, 2012-2017 Supplements, Kenneth C. Gibbs and Gordon Hunt, Chapter 12 – Bankruptcy in the Construction Industry (Wolter Kluwer Law & Business 2012-2018).
  • Contributor, California Mechanics Liens and Related Construction Remedies, Fourth Edition, Chapter 3 – Private Works: Enforcing Mechanics Liens, Stop Payment Notices and Bonds and Chapter 4 – State and Local Public Works: Enforcing Stop Payment Notices, Bonds, and Prompt Payment Statutes (Continuing Education of the Bar, California – June 2012).
  • Annotation co-author, Acret’s California Mechanics Lien Laws 2012, (BNi Publications 2012).
  •  Co-author, Is the Construction Manager Holding Any of the Cards? A Critical Look at Construction Management at Risk Today, The Construction Lawyer, Journal of the ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, Volume 32, Number 4, Fall 2012.
  • Received special acknowledgement for consulting and contributing to the California Mechanics Liens and Related Construction Remedies, Fourth Edition, Continuing Education of the Bar, California, June 2012 publication.
  •  Co-author, Change Is Coming to California’s Mechanics Lien Law from the May 2012 issue of the Real Property Reporter, Continuing Education of the Bar – California (CEB).

Representative Matters

  • Construction Law
    Chris represents owners, contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers and design professionals in connection with all aspects of private and public projects, from contract negotiation to enforcing and defending contract, mechanics lien, stop payment notice, bond and other statutory claims. These projects include commercial and industrial complexes, federal and state government projects, universities and schools, theaters, hospitals, retail stores, hotels, office buildings, restaurants and solar power projects. Clients include notable general contractors, specialty trade contractors, commercial property owners, design and architectural firms, and material suppliers and manufacturers in a wide variety of industries.
  • Business Law
    Chris is uniquely well-equipped to counsel all types of business in a wide variety of legal issues. He provides a broad range of legal services to protect and grow a company in every stage of the business life cycle, including: the proper formation of the appropriate business entity; drafting and negotiating all types of contracts to manage risk; protecting trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property; resolving claims before litigation; prosecuting and defending business-related litigation; collections; restructuring debt; enforcing judgments; and protecting creditors’ rights in bankruptcy. Chris is also an Adjunct Professor of Business Law at the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics and Graduate Business Program at California State University, Northridge, where for more than twenty years, he has taught subjects including contracts, commercial law, civil procedure, alternative dispute resolution, negotiation, remedies, negligence, agency and employment, and intentional torts such a defamation, trespass, nuisance, commercial misappropriation, and fraud. Chris was named the 2015-2016 “Educator of the Year” by Credit Management Association (CMA), the largest then affiliate of the National Association of Credit Management (NACM).
  • Commercial Law and Creditors’ Rights
    Chris also regularly assists manufacturers, distributors and retailers with a vast array of commercial law issues, including: drafting standard terms and conditions for the sale or purchase of goods; advising clients regarding troublesome contract terms; ensuring proper contract administration; handling shipping disputes and risk of loss; representing clients in commercial disputes and litigation; assisting with enforcing judgments and collections; and assisting creditors with bankruptcy claims. Chris’s varied commercial clientele includes buyers and sellers of all types of goods including steel, electrical and lighting, lumber, roofing, mechanical, plumbing, solar, oil and petroleum products, apparel, electronic components, composite goods, and rental equipment. In 2025, Chris played a supporting role in the passage of landmark legislation amending California Civil Code §1788.2. The amendment established the first statutory definition of “trade credit” in California history and excluded trade credit from the Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act — a change that provided clarity and protection to distributors and vendors that extend trade credit in California.

Honors And Awards

  • Best Lawyers in America (2026)
  • Super Lawyers (Thomson/Reuters) (2009-2025)
  • Legal Visionary, Los Angeles Times (2023)
  • Leaders of Influence, Most Admired Law Firms to Work For, Los Angeles Business Journal (2019-2024)
  • Alumni Award for Diversity and Belonging, Pepperdine Caruso School of Law (2023)
  • Educator of the Year, Credit Management Association (2015-2016)
  • The Legal 500, United States, Recommended Lawyer, 2019