Mrs. Nisha Patel

NISHA is the managing bankruptcy attorney and represents financial institutions, mortgage-servicers, and other secured and unsecured creditors in all aspects of bankruptcy and state court litigation in Virginia and Maryland. Prior to joining SIWPC, Patel represented consumers in chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcies in addition to litigating domestic relations and other civil matters. She serves on NACTT’s Mortgage Committee, the United States Financial Network Litigation Committee and the Eastern District of Virginia Local Bankruptcy Rules Committee, and she sits on the board of IWIRC’s Virginia Network, the Richmond Bar Association’s Bankruptcy Section, and the advisory board of ABI’s Southeastern Bankruptcy Workshop.

As a first-generation American, Nisha watched her immigrant father routinely work 12-hour weekdays and more on the weekends while her immigrant mother managed the household. What she never saw was that her mother had supported him while he finished graduate school. She had difficulty reentering the workforce after raising children for decades, but volunteered in between submitting countless applications, and encouraged her to do the same. She was 20 when she moved to Virginia for law school, and while there she taught English to immigrant families and volunteered with the Child Health Advocacy Program and Central Virginia Legal Aid in Richmond.

Nisha has been recognized as one of Virginia’s “Legal Elite” in Bankruptcy/ Creditors’ Rights and is a frequent speaker on bankruptcy matters. She also is an alumna of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges’ Next Generation Program. She has contributed to the ABI Journal and the United States Financial Network Report. In addition, she is committed to pro bono service and was recognized by the Harry L. Carrico Center for Pro Bono & Public Service for her service to the Richmond community. While maintaining a pro bono guardianship and conservatorship practice for low-income individuals throughout the Richmond metro area, she also is a frequent presenter for the Credit Abuse Resistance Education (CARE) program and recently revamped the CARE presentation used to educate middle and high school students about credit management and financial literacy. In addition, she is a certified guardian ad litem for incapacitated adults in Virginia.