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Paulina Garga-Chmiel

Senior Counsel

Always an advocate and often an intermediary, Paulina Garga-Chmiel helps lenders and other businesses enforce loan obligations and recover commercial debts. Clients trust her to keep borrowers honest and hold them to their agreements, and she delivers results by making the other side feel heard and finding common ground.

Paulina’s role extends beyond mere advocacy; she stands as a cornerstone in our Financial Services group, representing commercial lenders, loan servicers, and banks in a variety of litigation and loan enforcement matters. Her practice mainly involves loan workouts, commercial foreclosures, UCC liquidations, breach of contract actions, landlord tenant disputes, bankruptcy and loan restructuring, and complex post judgment collections.

Renowned within the legal community, Paulina serves as the preferred partner for handling SBA loan workout and litigation. With a keen understanding of the intricate landscape of SBA loans and the SBA standard operating procedures, she aids secured lenders in accurately documenting post-loan servicing actions, and effectively litigating and liquidating the collateral to ensure payment under the terms of the SBA guaranty.

For Paulina, being an excellent attorney is more than winning in court. While a passionate advocate for her clients, Paulina takes a holistic approach to representing her clients, focusing on relationship-building and delivering excellent customer service, from offering thoughtful, unbiased counsel to communicating regularly with her clients.

Her commitment to excellence extends beyond her practice; as a partner at her previous firm, Paulina served as co-chair of its Diversity & Inclusion Council. Her dedication to fostering an inclusive environment is reflected in her continued service on the DE&I committee here at Dykema. Paulina is also the current vice-chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s Financial Institutions Committee.

“To me quality client service is key. Good customer service is all about creating a long-lasting relationship with clients built on trust and responsiveness, and providing them with thoughtful legal solutions and quality work product.”
    • Chicago-Kent College of Law, J.D., 2013
    • DePaul University, B.A., cum laude, 2007

  • Bar Admissions

    • Illinois
    • Indiana

  • Court Admissions

    • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
    • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Illinois
    • U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
    • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of Illinois
    • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois
    • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Illinois
    • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana
    • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Indiana
    • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana
    • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Indiana
    • U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin
    • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Wisconsin
    • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin
    • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin
      • Recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as a 2021 Notable Rising Star in Law
      • Recognized by Law Bulletin Media as an Illinois Emerging Lawyer 2019-Present

    • Chicago Bar Association Financial Institutions Committee, Chair

    • Turnaround Management Association, NextGen Committee

    • Amicus Poloniae Legal Clinic

    • Polish

Contact

Chicago312-627-5662

Latest News and Insights

11.8.22

Are Yield Maintenance and Make-whole Provisions in Jeopardy? Recent Fifth Circuit Decision Casts Serious Doubt on Enforceability of Such Loan Provisions in the Context of Bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy provides an opportunity for a fresh financial start. In that spirit, creditors’…

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Press Releases11.15.21

Creditors’ Rights Attorney Paulina Garga-Chmiel Joins Dykema’s Chicago Office

Dykema announced the addition of Paulina Garga-Chmiel to its Financial Services Litigation Practice…

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Publications3.21.24

Consumer Financial Services Answer Book (2024 Edition)

Dykema is proud to announce that nine attorneys from its Financial Industry Group contributed to the…

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