John W. Menn is a partner in the bankruptcy and insolvency group of Swanson Sweet LLP in Oshkosh, WI. He has built a practice centered primarily around consumer bankruptcy, farm reorganizations and small business reorganizations. He represents individual and business debtors in cases filed under Chapter 7, 11, 12, and 13 of the Bankruptcy Code, and represents debtors in adversary proceedings in bankruptcy, as well as negotiating settlements outside of bankruptcy and dealing with debt repayment through Wisconsin’s Chapter 128 debt amortization statute. He assists clients who are facing foreclosure, helping them defend their foreclosure case and resolve their default through mortgage modification, or through bankruptcy restructuring, including Chapter 11, 12, and 13 cases. He has helped many clients obtain home mortgage modifications through the Mortgage Modification Mediation Program available in Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, as well as through direct modifications with lenders in and out of bankruptcy.
In addition to his debtor work, Attorney Menn represents creditors in all chapters of bankruptcy, advising them of their rights, filing claims, negotiating, and litigating disputed matters, and pursuing non-dischargeability complaints.
AREAS OF PRACTICE
- Consumer Bankruptcy & Insolvency
- Commercial Bankruptcy & Insolvency
- Creditors’ Rights
- Chapter 128 Debt Amortization
- Workouts and Loan Restructuring
- Foreclosure Defense
- Mortgage Modification
- Non-Bankruptcy Debt Settlement
BAR ADMISSIONS
- Wisconsin, 2009
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2009
- U.S. District Court Western District of Wisconsin, 2009
EDUCATION
- University of Wisconsin Law School, Madison, Wisconsin
- J.D. – 2009
- Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan
- B.A. – 2005
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
- 2016-03-03 – Bankruptcy, Insolvency, and Creditors Rights (“BICR”) Section Educational / Social Retreat, Kohler, WI. “Attorney Fees in Chapter 13“
- 2017-03-02 – BICR Section Educational / Social Retreat, Kohler, WI. “Life after HAMP?”
- 2018-03-02 – BICR Section Educational / Social Retreat, Kohler, WI. “Creative Plan Provisions in Chapter 13”
- 2018-09-11 – National Association of Credit Management (“NACM”) Roundtable Discussion, Appleton, WI. “Creditor Remedies Available in Bankruptcy“
- 2019-03-14 – Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (“PDPW”) Business Conference, Madison, WI. “Managing your Creditors: Farm Business Reorganizations”
- 2019-05-14 – American Bankruptcy Institute (“ABI”) Central States Conference, Traverse City, MI. “Farm to Table – They’re All In Trouble”
- 2019-09-11 – Western District of Wisconsin Bar Association Luncheon, Madison, WI. “Chapter 11 Had a Baby, And Its Name is Subchapter V (and other recent legislative developments)”
- 2019-10-14 – ABI sponsored 2019 Hon. Eugene R. Wedoff Seventh Circuit Consumer Bankruptcy Conference, Chicago, IL. “Savings in a Chapter 13”
- 2019-10-24 – Wisconsin Solo and Small Firm Conference (“WSSFC”), Wisconsin Dells, WI. “Udderly Broke: How to Liquidate and Sell the Family Farm”
- 2021-07-30 – Association of Chapter 12 Trustees (“Act 12”) Chapter 12 Conference Farm Reorganization, Virtual. “Co-Op Law”
- 2022-06-30 – ABI Central States Conference, Lake Geneva, WI. “Subchapter V: Lessons Learned and Minding the Gap”
- 2023-07-24 – ACT 12 Conference, Austin, TX. “A Discussion of Chapter 12 vs. Subchapter V of Chapter 11. What are the pros and cons?”
- 2023-10-20 – WSSFC, Wisconsin Dells, WI. “A Tenant Filed Bankruptcy: Now What?”
- 2024-06-18 – ABI Central States Conference, Chicago, IL. “Federal Tax Issues In and Out of Bankruptcy”
- 2025-02-27 – BICR Section Educational / Social Retreat, Kohler, WI. “Case Conversion 11 to 7 and 7 to 11”
TEACHING ENGAGEMENTS
- 2022-03-09 – Guest Lecturer, UW Law School Bankruptcy Class. “Issues Relevant to Individual Chapter 13 Cases”
- 2023-02-15 – Guest Lecturer, UW Law School Bankruptcy Class. “Treatment of Unsecured Creditors in Chapter 13 Cases”
PROFESSIONAL GROUPS
- State of Wisconsin Bar Association, 2009 – present
- Young Lawyers Division, 2009 – 2017
- Bankruptcy, Insolvency & Creditors’ Rights Section, 2009 – present
- American Bankruptcy Institute, 2011 – present
- Advisory Board Member, 2019 – present
- Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association, 2014 – present
- Bankruptcy Committee, 2015 – present
- Board of Directors, 2021 – present
- Bankruptcy Committee Co-Chair, 2023 – present
- Winnebago County Bar Association, 2013 – present
- Fox Valley Young Lawyers Association, 2009 – 2022
- Co-Vice Chair, 2011 – 2012
- Co-Chair, 2012 – 2013
- Treasurer, 2013 – 2022
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
- Oshkosh Rotary Club, 2012 – present
- Administrator/Blogger at www.BktoFI.com, providing personal financial management and educational resources for Debtors in bankruptcy.
