Jennifer McLain McLemore

Jennifer “Jen” McLain McLemore is a trusted bankruptcy and creditors’ rights attorney for creditors, non-traditional lenders and businesses navigating financial distress, insolvency risk, and complex restructurings.

Sophisticated clients and in-house counsel turn to Jen when the stakes are high and timing is critical—whether a borrower files for bankruptcy, a transaction requires a solvency or enforceability opinion, or distressed assets must be protected, restructured, or recovered.

What Jen helps clients do:

• Protect creditor rights in bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings (Chapter 7, Chapter 11, Subchapter V), including asset/collateral protection; executory contract rights enforcement (services contracts, construction agreements, leases, supplier contracts, etc.); asserting claims, reclamation, or other creditor rights;  enforcement of code-based rights and remedies; avoidance action analysis and defense; and dischargeability disputes.
• Structure and execute pre-filing work-out agreements and navigate state law remedy enforcement for creditors involved in distressed transactions, including debt acquisition, debt restructuring and rapid asset recovery strategy.
• Analyze and navigate pre-bankruptcy risks and workouts, advising creditors, suppliers, and counterparties on exposure mitigation, contract renegotiation, and demand strategies.
• Deliver insolvency and bankruptcy-related legal opinions for complex finance, real estate, and structured transactions—supporting lenders, developers, and deal counsel.
• Manage foreclosure and distressed asset portfolios, serving as substitute trustee and coordinating efficient recovery strategies across asset classes.
• Act as trusted local counsel in Virginia and across the firm’s footprint for national law firms, lenders, and creditors facing conflicts or needing jurisdiction-specific execution.

Jen’s practice is intentionally broad across bankruptcy, restructuring, creditors’ rights, foreclosure, and insolvency-related transactional work, allowing her to support clients through all phases of the economic cycle, from early warning signs of distress to litigation and asset recovery.

She is particularly effective in “bankruptcy-adjacent” matters, partnering with corporate, finance, and litigation teams to deliver practical, business-oriented solutions for clients in industries ranging from real estate development and healthcare to industrial and energy (including distressed solar assets).

Clients value Jen for her ability to move seamlessly between litigation, transactions, and strategy, often stepping in to solve complex, time-sensitive problems without disrupting broader business operations.

Jen is consistently recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, Virginia Super Lawyers, and Lawdragon for her work in bankruptcy, restructuring, and commercial litigation, and she is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy. She is also a past chair of the International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC) , a current Vice President at the American Bankruptcy Institute, and she otherwise remains deeply engaged in the national insolvency community, ensuring her clients benefit from current market insight and strong industry relationships.

Jen earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Richmond School of Law, where she served as an associate editor for the University of Richmond Law Review. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude and with university honors, from Miami University.