- OVERVIEW
- EXPERIENCE
- INSIGHTS
- NEWS & EVENTS
INDUSTRIES
PRACTICES
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Education
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Saint Louis University School of Law,
J.D., cum laude
Saint Louis University Public Law Journal
Order of the Woolsack
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Saint Louis University,
B.S., Physical Therapy, magna cum laude
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Admissions
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Illinois
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Missouri
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Illinois USDC, Northern District
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Illinois USDC, Southern District
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Missouri USDC, Eastern District
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Missouri USDC, Western District
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Illinois US Bank Ct, Northern District
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Illinois US Bank Ct, Southern District
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Missouri US Bank Ct, Eastern District
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Missouri US Bank Ct, Western District
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US Ct Appeals, 8th Circuit (AR, IA, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)
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Delaware US Bank Ct
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Indiana US Bank Ct, Southern District
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Kentucky USDC, Western District
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Ohio US Bank Ct, Northern District
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Affiliations
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Fellow, American College of Real Estate Lawyers (Nominating Committee, Finance Committee, Programs Committee, Member Selection Committee, Past Member of the Board of Governors, Past Chair of the Bankruptcy Committee)
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Fellow, American College of Mortgage Attorneys (Missouri State Chair, Former Chair of the Bankruptcy Committee)
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Member, American Bar Association, Business Law, Real Property, Trust and Estate Law, and Litigation Sections (Council Member of the RP Division of RPTE Section, Acquisitions Editor for eReport (the RPTE Section's On-Line Journal), Member of RPTE Section's Government Submissions Committee, Vice Chair of the RPTE Section's Opinions Committee, Former Member of RPTE Section's Planning and Communications and Workout, Foreclosure and Bankruptcy Committees, Former Chair of the Real Estate Finance Group of Committees, Editor of the RPTE Section's Manual on Foreclosure and Related Remedies in the 50 States, Appointed Advisor by RPTE Section to the Committee established by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws to create a Uniform Manufactured Housing Act)
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Liaison for American Bar Association, Real Property, Trust & Estate Section to Uniform Law Commission Committee Developing a Uniform Manufactured Housing Law
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Member, American Agricultural Law Association
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Member, American Bankruptcy Institute
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Member, American Law Institute Real Estate Advisory Panel
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Member, Commercial Real Estate Women
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Member, Illinois State Bar Association
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Member, International Council of Shopping Centers
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Member, International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation
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Member, Missouri Bankers Association
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Observer, Committee established by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws to create a Uniform Receivership Law for Commercial Real Estate
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Member, St. Louis AgriBusiness Club
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Member, The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
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Member, The Missouri Bar, and Commercial Law and Real Estate Committees
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Member, The Missouri Bar Commercial Law Section Receivership Subcommittee
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Member, The Risk Management Association (Serve on Board)
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Member, Turnaround Management Association (Serve on Board)
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Volunteer, Urban Land Institute (Assisting with planning Women's Leadership Initiative Regional Summit, St. Louis, August 2020)
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Member, Women in Agribusiness
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Recognitions
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Listed, 500 Leading Global Real Estate Lawyers (by Lawdragon Inc.), 2024
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Listed in Thought Leaders USA Guide for Real Estate (by Who's Who Legal), 2024
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Fellow, American College of Mortgage Attorneys (by nomination and selection; invitation only)
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Fellow, American College of Real Estate Lawyers (by nomination and selection; invitation only)
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Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, 2012-2025 (by BL Rankings)
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Real Estate Law
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Listed in Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers, 2005-2024 (by Thomson Reuters)
Listed among Top 50 Women Attorneys in Missouri & Kansas, 2009-2012, 2017
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Recipient of Missouri Lawyers Women's Justice Award, 2011
Business Practitioner Category
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Employment
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Thompson Coburn LLP,
Partner, Associate and Summer Associate
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Lewis Rice and Fingersh,
Summer Associate
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Community
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The Crime Victim Advocacy Center of St. Louis
Board Member
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CASA of St. Louis
Court Appointed Special Advocate
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Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Volunteer Lawyer (Vacancy Initiative Program)
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Cheryl represents lenders and obligors in complex finance transactions, loan restructurings, and bankruptcy, receivership, foreclosure and other proceedings involving creditor-debtor relations. She additionally represents sellers and buyers in asset transfers (including sales and purchases of loans and real estate) and handles a variety of other commercial law matters.
Cheryl is a fellow of the American College of Real Estate Attorneys and the American College of Mortgage Attorneys. Cheryl has been included in The Best Lawyers in America® (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Real Estate Law) from 2012-2025 (by BL Rankings). She has been listed in Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers (by Thomson Reuters) from 2005-2024 and was listed as a Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers "Top 50 Woman Attorney" in 2009-2012 and 2017 (by Thomson Reuters).
Transactions and Enforcement Matters
Representative transactions and enforcement matters available upon request.
Blogs
7 things you should know about the new Missouri Commercial Receivership Act
New Missouri law bans local efforts to mandate foreclosure mediation
Thompson Coburn Publications
As COVID-19 prompts more retail tenant bankruptcies, how should landlords and lenders respond?
TCLEs
The Big Bang: When the Worlds of Energy Law and Bankruptcy Law Collide
Seven Things You Should Know About the Missouri Commercial Receivership Act
Bankruptcy 101: Bankruptcy Basics
Publications
Real Property Articles Editor,
American Bar Association Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section’s Online Journal ("eReport"); and predecessor publication, 1999-Present
Editor, American Bar Association Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section's Manual on Foreclosure Law & Related Remedies in the 50 States;
(Second Edition published in 2009-10)
Editor, Courts and CLE Bulletin of The Missouri Bar (E.D. Mo. Appellate Commercial Cases),
1996-2006
Contributor to Article (form escrow agreement), "Mortgage Workouts: Deeds in Escrow";
Real Property, Probate & Trust Journal, Summer 2006
Author, "Bankruptcy Reform Act provisions of interest to real estate practitioners";
New Mexico Bar Seminar, December 1, 2006
Co-Author and Panelist, "Missouri Foreclosure and Repossession" (including coverage of the impact of bankruptcy and the secured creditor);
NBI Seminar, St. Louis, MO, June 15, 1993
Co-Presenter and Author, "Summary of the Key Changes to the Bankruptcy Code Resulting From Passage of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1994", Thompson Mitchell Annual Financial Services Event,
December 9, 1994
Co-Author, "Representing the Unsecured Creditor in the Shadow and Darkness of Bankruptcy";
The Journal for the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, Spring 1995
Co-Author, "The Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1994";
The Missouri Business Law Quarterly, Winter 1995
Editor,
Missouri Bar Deskbook Chapter on Foreclosure, 2019
Editor,
Missouri Chapter of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys Mortgage Law Summary, 2019
List of written work is representative and not exhaustive.
Presentations
Speaker and author, "Maintaining Boundaries in Opinion Practice";
University of Texas at Austin Annual Renewable Energy Conference (by invitation with Marilyn Maloney), January 28, 2020
Panelist and author, "Basics of Opinion Practice";
American Bar Association Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section Webinar, October 10, 2019
Panelist and author, "UCC Opinions";
American College of Mortgage Attorneys Annual Meeting, Monterey, CA, September 2019
Panelist and author, "The Big Bang: When Energy Law and Bankruptcy Law Collide" (with focus on Section 365 and certain other provisions of the Bankruptcy Code);
Thompson Coburn LLP, Webinar, July 29, 2019
Panelist and author, "Basics of Opinion Practice";
American Bar Association Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section National Spring CLE Conference, Boston, MA, May 2019
Panelist and author, "Recent Developments in Chapter 11" (with a focus on developments relating to cannabis);
Missouri Bankruptcy Institute, March 2019
Panelist and author, "Retail Bankruptcy Strategic Options";
American College of Mortgage Attorneys 2018 Annual Meeting, Tucson, AZ, October 12, 2018
Moderator and program planner, "Construction Lending";
The Risk Management Association, May 31, 2018
Panelist and author, "Legal Opinions - How They Help Make the Deal Happen";
American Bar Association Real Property, Trust & Estate Law Section, Webinar, May 16, 2018
Panelist and author, "Building a National Consensus: The Statement of Opinion Practices and What It Means to the Real Estate Lawyer";
American Bar Association Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Spring Symposia, Denver, CO, April 20, 2017
Panelist and author, "'Tis Better to Give It To A Real Estate Receiver: The Uniform Commercial Real Estate Receivership Act";
ABA Business Law Section Spring Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 2017
Panelist and author, "The New Missouri Commercial Receivership Act";
Missouri Bankers Association Bank Legal Issues Conference, October 2016
Panelist and author, "Current Bankruptcy-Related Issues of Interest to Mortgage Lenders, Brokers and Servicers";
American College of Mortgage Attorneys Fall Meeting, Newport Beach, CA, September 2016
Panelist and author, "Seven Things You Should Know About the New Missouri Commercial Receivership Act";
Thompson Coburn LLP, Webinar, June 14, 2016
Speaker and author, "Trends in Commercial Loan Documentation";
The Risk Management Association, May 5, 2016
Panelist and author, "Bankruptcy and Alternatives to Bankruptcy";
Presentation to Thompson Coburn attorneys, February 2015
Panelist and author, "Hot Topics in Lending - Recent Court Decisions and Regulatory Changes";
The Risk Management Association, 2015
Panelist and author, "Alternatives to Bankruptcy, Focusing on Mortgage Loan Workouts";
Presentation to Thompson Coburn attorneys, October 2014
Panelist and author, "Caveat Carveouts: Lessons in the Structure, Enforcement and Negotiation of Non-Recourse Carveout Guaranties";
Fall Meeting American College of Mortgage Attorneys, September 20, 2014
Panelist and author, "Bankruptcy 101";
Thompson Coburn, LLP, Webinar, August 2014
Panelist and author, "Overview of Commercial Lending, Guaranties, and Recent Defenses";
On-Site Client Presentation, January 15, 2014
Panelist and author, "Third Party Legal Opinions";
Presentation to Thompson Coburn attorneys, August 2013
Panelist and author, "Commercial Real Estate Defaults, Workouts, and Reorganizations";
American Law Institute, Washington, D.C., June 4-6, 2013
Panelist and author, "Dealing with the Desperate Debtor – Emerging Theories of Lender Liability";
The Risk Management Association, January 2012
Speaker and author, "Recent Developments in Creditors’ Rights Issues Relevant to Real Estate Attorneys";
Bar Association of St. Louis, June 2012
Moderator and program planner, "The Changing Face of Real Estate Acquisitions";
American College of Real Estate Lawyers Spring Meeting, Tucson, AZ, March 2011
Panelist and author, "Acquisition, Bankruptcy and Tax Considerations in Distressed Asset Purchases";
American Bar Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, August 8, 2010
Speaker and author, "Commercial Loan Workouts";
Practising Law Institute Program, Gleacher Center, University of Chicago, March 26, 2010
Program planner, panelist and author, "Dilemmas Dealing with Deposits, Disbursements, Escrows, and Exchange";
Nationally broadcast joint program sponsored by American College of Real Estate Lawyers, American College of Mortgage Attorneys, and American Bar Association Real Property Section, February 23, 2009
Speaker and author, "Commercial Loan Workouts";
Practising Law Institute Program, Gleacher Center, University of Chicago, November 4, 2008
Program planner and moderator, "Bankruptcy Issues of Relevance";
Nationally broadcast E-CLE sponsored by the American Bar Association Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, October 23, 2008
Panelist and author, "Tranche Warfare: Waivers of Bankruptcy";
American College of Real Estate Lawyers Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, October 25, 2008
Speaker and author, "Alternatives to Bankruptcy";
Missouri Bankers Association, Columbia, MO, October 23, 2008
Panelist and author, "Contingent Guaranties, and Recent Case Law Developments Relating to Section 363 Sales";
American College of Real Estate Lawyers Webinar, June 19, 2008
Panelist and author, "Opinion Issues Arising in an Assumption, Modification or Defeasance";
American Bar Association, Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, Spring Meeting, Washington D.C., April 30, 2008
Panelist and author, "Bankruptcy Remote Techniques";
American College of Real Estate Lawyers, Fall Meeting, Miami, FL, October 27, 2007
Speaker and author, "Deeds in Escrow";
American College of Mortgage Attorneys Fall Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, October 20, 2006
Speaker and Author, "Advanced Real Estate Law" (Focus on Finance Transactions);
NBI Seminar, Sheraton Hotel, St. Louis, MO, May 17, 2006
List of presentations is representative and not exhaustive.
News
Cheryl Kelly Named as Lawdragon 500 Leading Real Estate Lawyer
John Galvin, Cheryl Kelly Recognized in Thought Leaders Guide
Rabo AgriFinance and Thompson Coburn recognized as 2019 ACC Value Champions
Rabo AgriFinance, Thompson Coburn recognized in Top Legal Innovation Awards
More than 50 attorneys named to 2012 Missouri Bar Pro Bono Hall of Fame