Virginia E. George is a founding partner at Swanson Sweet LLP and concentrates her practice on representing financially distressed individuals and business in bankruptcy, workouts, reorganizations, and receiverships.
She is known for executing strategies that grant her clients their desired outcomes, even in the most complex cases. She has extensive experience in all aspects of business and individual bankruptcy including business and individual chapter 7, 11, Sub-V, and chapter 12. She regularly helps clients avoid bankruptcy through out-of-court workouts.
She has served on the panel of chapter 7 trustees for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin since 1999.
For the period 1998-2025, Martindale-Hubbell awarded Virginia the AV Preeminent® 5.0/5.0 rating, indicating the pinnacle of professional excellence earned through a strenuous Peer Review process across the US and Canada. For the past 9 years, she also achieved the Judicial AV Preeminent® rating, reflecting the confidential opinions of the Bar and Judiciary. Virginia is awarded The Best Lawyers in America 2024 Edition for Litigation: Bankruptcy and 2025 Edition Best Lawyer in America for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights./Insolvency and Reorganization and Litigation-Bankruptcy.
AREAS OF PRACTICE
- Bankruptcy (personal and business)
- Bankruptcy Litigation
- Personal Injury
- Creditor Litigation
- Civil Litigation
- Business Workouts
- Receiverships
BAR ADMISSIONS
- Wisconsin
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin
- U.S. District Court Western District of Wisconsin
PRESENTATIONS
- Evidentiary Issues in Bankruptcy, State Bar of Wisconsin: Annual Debtor-Creditor Update, 2024
- How to Liquidate a Financially Distressed Business – with or Without its Cooperation, 22nd Annual Meeting of the Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association, 2024
- Avoidance Actions, American Bankruptcy Institute, Central States Bankruptcy Workshop, June 2023
- Real Facts on Virtual Assets, State Bar of Wisconsin: Wisconsin Solo & Small Firm Conference, November 2022
- Administering Virtual Assets, 2022 Chapter 7 Trustee Panel Training, Office of the United States Trustee, U.S. Department of Justice, October 2022
- Uses and Considerations for Subchapter V Small Business Debtor Reorganization, State Bar of Wisconsin: Northwestern Wisconsin Bankruptcy Institute, April 2022
- Behind the Scenes: Evaluating Out-of-Court Workouts, Bankruptcy and Chapter 128 Receiverships, Turnaround Management Association, March 2022
- Duties and Ethical Responsibilities of Trustees, American Inns of Court, February 2022
- Estopping the Madness: Personal Injury and Exemptions in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases, American Bankruptcy Institute: Central States Bankruptcy Workshop, June 2021
- Seventh Circuit Case Law Update, 7th Circuit Bar Association: Hon. Eugene R. Wedoff Seventh Circuit Consumer Bankruptcy Conference, October 2019
- Who Gets What? Chapter 7 and 13 Conversions, Dismissal Considerations and More, American Bankruptcy Institute: Central States Bankruptcy Workshop, June 2019
- Chapter 7 Best Practices, State Bar of Wisconsin: Annual Bankruptcy Insolvency Section Meeting, March 2015
- Mortgage Issues in Chapter 13 & Ethics Protecting Your Clients from Themselves and other Thorny Ethical Issues, State Bar of Wisconsin: Annual Bankruptcy Insolvency Section Meeting, February 2014
- Individual Consumer Issues in Chapter 7 and 13 cases & Small Business Issues in Individual Chapter 7 and 13 cases, State Bar of Wisconsin: Annual Bankruptcy Insolvency Section Meeting, March 2013
- Consumer Bankruptcy From Start to Finish- A Primer on Tax Rules in Bankruptcy, National Business Institute, May 2012
- Chapter 7 Current Developments, Procedures, Rules, Cases and Tricks of the Trade, State Bar of Wisconsin: Bankruptcy Insolvency Section Annual Meeting, March 2012
- Chapter 7 Issues and Current Cases, State Bar of Wisconsin: Bankruptcy Insolvency Section Annual Meeting, March 2011
- Foreclosure Limbo, Chapter 7 Bankruptcy and the False Fresh Start, Lou Jones Breakfast Club, March 2010
- What Is The Bankruptcy Attorney’s Role In Completion Of The Debtor’s Duties Enumerated in 11 U.S.C. § 521? State Bar of Wisconsin: Bankruptcy Insolvency Section, March 2010
- Means Test Breakout Session, Chapter 7 Issues Breakout Session, State Bar of Wisconsin: Bankruptcy Insolvency Section Annual Meeting, March 2009
- Windfall and the chapter 13 scheme to convert to chapter 7, 11 USC § 1306(a)(2), 11 USC § 348, Bankruptcy Rule 1019, Lou Jones Breakfast Club, May 2008
- Trustee Ethics, United States Trustee Program: EDW Panel Trustee Annual Meeting, May 2007
- Facilitator BAPCPA Means Test Breakout Session, and Law Firm Economics for the Bankruptcy Practice Session, State Bar of Wisconsin: Bankruptcy Insolvency Section Annual Meeting, April 2007
- Trustee Ethics, United States Trustee Program: EDW Panel Trustee Annual Bankruptcy Ethics Seminar, December 2006
- BAPCPA, State Bar of Wisconsin: Bankruptcy Insolvency Section Annual Meeting, Spring 2006
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS/MEMBERSHIPS
- State Bar of Wisconsin: Two-Term Past Board Member Bankruptcy Insolvency and Creditors Rights Section and Member Litigation Section
- Milwaukee Bar Association: Member and Presenter
- 7th Circuit Bar Association: Member and Presenter
- American Bankruptcy Institute: Member and Presenter
- International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation: (IWIRC) Wisconsin Network Board Member, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2023 IWIRC on Ice Event Conference Chair, 2021- 2022 Membership Chair, 2026 IWIRC on Ice Event Conference committee member
- Turnaround Management Association– (TMA) 2023, -, 2025 Virginia is serving as a Board Member for the TMA Chicago/Midwest chapter and as co-chair of the Milwaukee Planning Committee.
- National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees– Member
HONORS AND AWARDS
- Martindale-Hubbell: 28 years AV Preeminent®
- Martindale-Hubbell: 10 years Judicial AV Preeminent®
- Best Lawyers 2024 Virginia George Litigation-Bankruptcy, 2025 Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization and Litigation-Bankruptcy
- Milwaukee WI Super Lawyers, 2023, 2024, 2025
