Francesca Macchiaverna

Partner

200 East Saint Julian Street
PO Box 9848
Savannah, GA 31412-0048

Tel 912.236.0261
Fax 912.236.4936

Francesca Macchiaverna protects businesses’ financial interests through efficient commercial debt collection and dispute resolution.

A seasoned litigator, she represents creditors in state and federal courts across Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, serving banks, specialty finance firms, commercial landlords, property managers, heavy equipment dealers, and businesses extending credit to finance sales of goods and services.

Her practice covers bankruptcy, creditors’ rights, foreclosures, workouts, preference defense, landlord-tenant matters, mechanic’s liens and bonds, probate claims, and judgment collection – including foreign judgments. Certified as a Circuit Court Mediator in South Carolina, Francesca also helps resolve disputes outside of court. Her high ethical standards have earned her an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

Admitted to all state and federal courts in Georgia and South Carolina, the U.S. Supreme Court, and North Carolina, Francesca is a member of the Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights Sections of the State Bar of Georgia, the Savannah Bar Association, and the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers. She also holds memberships with the South Carolina Bar, South Carolina Women Lawyers Association, and South Carolina Bankruptcy Law Association. She regularly presents on bankruptcy and commercial landlord-tenant issues.

In the community, she serves as treasurer of TEDxSavannah. Francesca earned her B.A. from Emory University and J.D. from the University of South Carolina, where she was an articles editor for the South Carolina Environmental Law Journal. She is married with two daughters.


Experience

Published Opinions

  • Young v. Catoe, 33 Fed. Appx. 133 (4th Cir. 2002)
  • Robert Michael Ardis v. Educational Credit Management Corp. (In re Ardis), 340 B.R. 309 (Bankr. S.C. 2006)
  • SunTrust Bank v. Global One, L.L.C. (In re Global One, L.L.C.), 411 B.R. 524 (Bankr. S.D. Ga. 2009)
  • Gerguis v. Statesboro HMA Medical Group, LLC, No. A14A1616, 2015 WL 1215045 (Ga.Ct.App. March 18, 2015)
  • Gray Tybee, II, LLC, et al. v. Charles W. Coker, Jr. (In the Matter of Coker), 569 B.R. 521 (Bankr. S.D. Ga. 2017)

Community Work

  • TEDxSavannah: Board Treasurer
  • Delta Gamma Alumnae Association
  • South Carolina Bankruptcy Law Association: Presenter, 2021
  • Leadership Southeast Georgia: Class of 2019
  • Leadership Savannah: Class of 2016-2017
  • ALFA International: Bankruptcy Law Presenter, 2019
  • Coastal Bankruptcy Law Institute: Presenter, 2017-2018
  • Coastal Heritage Society: Board of Trustees, 2013-2018; Executive Board, 2019-2021
  • Georgia High School Mock Trial Program: Scoring or Presiding Judge
  • South Carolina High School Mock Trial Program: Scoring or Presiding Judge

Credentials

Education

University of South Carolina School of Law: J.D., 1999
Emory University: B.A., 1994

Clerkships

South Carolina Circuit Court: The Honorable James E. Lockemy

Affiliations

  • State Bar of Georgia: Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights Section
  • Savannah Bar Association
  • Georgia Association for Women Lawyers: Savannah Chapter, Past President, 2011-2012
  • South Carolina Bar: Board of Governors’ Task Force – Lawyers in Transition
  • South Carolina Women Lawyers Association
  • South Carolina Bankruptcy Law Association
  • ALFA International: Bankruptcy Law Working Group

Recognition

Georgia Super Lawyers: Business Litigation, 2023-2024
Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.

Martindale-Hubbell: AV Rated
The Martindale-Hubbell® PEER REVIEW RATINGS™ are an objective indicator of a lawyer’s high ethical standards and professional ability, generated from evaluations of lawyers by other members of the bar and the judiciary in the United States and Canada.

Licensed In

Georgia
North Carolina
South Carolina

Insights

Presentations

SubChapter V of Chapter 11
CLE in-person event presented by Francesca Macchiaverna and Jon Levis at the Coastal Bankruptcy Law Institute Seminar on May 19, 2023.

Bankruptcy Subchapter V
CLE virtual event presented by Francesca Macchiaverna, Christine Brimm, and Kerk Spong for the South Carolina Bankruptcy Lawyers Association on September 21, 2021.

Bankruptcy Issues as a Result of COVID-19 – Small Business Reorganization Act and CARES Act
Francesca Macchiaverna served as a panelist for this webinar by ALFA International’s Business Litigation Practice Group on May 5, 2020.

Bank it! A Game That Tests Your Bankruptcy Knowledge – a PowerPoint gameshow based on $100,000 Pyramid
ALFA International Client Seminar presented by Francesca Macchiaverna on behalf of the Bankruptcy Working Group from February 28 to March 2, 2019.

Ethics: Jeoparody! – a PowerPoint gameshow based on Jeopardy!
Presented at the Coastal Bankruptcy Law Institute Seminar on April 20, 2018.

Landlord Tenant Law Seminar
Presented for the Greater Savannah Apartment Association on April 21, 2016.

Credit Presentation for the National Association of Credit Management Seminar
Presented in Savannah, Georgia, on March 10, 2016.

News