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Jeffrey Weston Shields is a shareholder in the Litigation Department and a member of the Bankruptcy Group in the Salt Lake City office. Jeff concentrates his practice in the litigation of complex commercial disputes, with a particular emphasis in bankruptcy-related litigation, at both the trial and appellate level. He has significant experience in all aspects of creditor and indenture trustee representation in complex national and local bankruptcy reorganization and liquidation cases, securities litigation, telecommunications arbitration, contested administrative agency proceedings, business torts, and real estate broker errors and omissions defense, and has advised several diverse lenders on designing and implementing policies and procedures for consumer bankruptcy cases. Jeff is a frequent author and lecturer on bankruptcy and litigation topics and has served as chair of the Bankruptcy/Creditors Rights Subcommittee of the Utah State Bar Committee of Bar Examiners for several years. He is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, Utah Bankruptcy Lawyers Forum (Counselor Member), Utah Bankruptcy Bar & Bench Association, Utah State Bar Bankruptcy Section, Utah State Bar Litigation, Corporate Counsel (Section Chair 1991), and Securities sections. He also serves on the arbitrator panels of the National Association of Securities Dealers Dispute Resolution and the Chicago Board Options Exchange Dispute Resolution. He was listed in "The Best Lawyers in America" 2003-2008 editions in bankruptcy/creditors Rights, in the 2007 "Super Lawyers" for bankruptcy and in Utah Business Magazine’s recent Top 100 Most Effective Lawyers in Utah as well as the annual editions of Utah’s Legal Elite. He holds a Martindale-Hubbell AV rating. Prior to joining the firm, Jeff was a partner in a large national firm and was previously in-house counsel to one of Utah’s largest commercial banks with responsibilities over bankruptcy, litigation, and problem loan workouts. Jeff participates extensively in civic and community activities including several years as a trustee of the Utah Opera Company (now Utah Symphony and Opera), Chairman of Utahns Against Hunger, and legal advisor to established and emerging church congregations.
During law school, Jeff founded and was president of the Student Trial Lawyers Association and was appointed to the Moot Court Honor Board. He received American Jurisprudence Awards (first in class) in commercial and constitutional law. Jeff is a graduate of the University of Utah (B.S. 1977) and Pepperdine University School of Law (J.D., Dean’s Honor List, 1980). | 