Deborah C. Swenson / Biography
Before retirement, Deb Swenson provided clients with practical, cost effective legal advice in the area of commercial bankruptcy and commercial litigation. In bankruptcy matters, she assisted clients who had customers that had filed bankruptcy matters no matter where they arose in the United States. Her philosophy is based upon the belief that clients shouldn’t have to pay the cost to reinvent the wheel to repeatedly educate attorney after attorney about a legal issue that is common to their business. Instead, she used her knowledge of her clients’ businesses to work as a team with a specially chosen local counsel to bring about positive results without the high cost of travel. Her practice was unique as over the last 20 years she developed relationships with counsel in all 50 states, enabling her to provide clients with a one-stop process to have their commercial bankruptcy and commercial litigation matters handled efficiently and effectively.
She enjoyed providing these services to clients across the country. Clients included Fortune 500 companies in the transportation, staffing and services industries. She also worked on appellate matters in the Minnesota Court of Appeals, the Minnesota Supreme Court and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Of special interest to her is the defense of avoidance actions, including preference and fraudulent transfers. During her long legal practice she defended corporations in hundreds of avoidance actions in over 40 jurisdictions.
Deb also worked to protect her clients’ interests in bankruptcy through an active motion practice, including relief from the automatic stay and other motions in the bankruptcy courts throughout the United States. She also served as a liquidating trustee in a Minnesota Chapter 11 liquidation case involving former franchisee.
Deb is rated AV Preeminent® for the highest level of professional excellence by Martindale-Hubbell.
Education
- Stanford Law School, J.D., 1995
- University of Minnesota, B.A., summa cum laude, 1992
News + Articles
Five Lommen Abdo Attorneys Recognized in the 2026 Minnesota Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists
Lommen Abdo is proud to announce that five of our attorneys have been recognized in the 2026 Minnesota Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists. These honors recognize attorneys who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and earned the respect of their...
Four Lommen Abdo Attorneys Named to Minnesota Monthly’s 2026 Top Lawyers List
Lommen Abdo is pleased to announce that four of its attorneys have been recognized in Minnesota Monthly's 2026 Top Lawyers list, an annual honor that recognizes outstanding attorneys across Minnesota based on peer nominations and professional achievement. This year's...
How Is Spousal Maintenance Calculated In Minnesota?
Spousal maintenance, sometimes called alimony, is one of the more fact-specific issues in a Minnesota divorce. Unlike child support, there is no simple formula that determines whether maintenance will be awarded, how much will be paid, or how long payments will...
What Is an Equitable Distribution in Divorce?
Divorce often involves difficult decisions about finances, property, and long-term security. One of the most important legal concepts in any Minnesota divorce is equitable distribution, which governs how marital property is divided between spouses. Many people...
Estate Planning for Family Businesses: Succession, Taxes, and Long-Term Planning
Family businesses are unique in many ways. Mostly because they’re never just businesses. A machine shop started by a grandfather in the 1970s. A lakeside resort run by siblings who still argue about whose turn it is to buy bait. A second-generation HVAC company where...
What Investors and Entrepreneurs Should Know About Financing a Minnesota Cannabis Business
Minnesota’s cannabis industry feels a little bit like the Wild West right now—in the best and most stressful ways possible. There’s excitement everywhere. People are sketching out business plans at breweries, talking cultivation strategies over coffee, and trying to...






