Crystal N. Abbey

Meet Crystal

Crystal helps lenders, trade vendors, debtors, buyers, and other creditors navigate all facets of insolvency, bankruptcy, and financial distress. She advises clients through pre-bankruptcy planning and workouts, Chapter 11 reorganizations and liquidations, state court receiverships, and related litigation. Her clients rely on her for clear, strategic guidance in complex and fast-moving restructuring situations.

Crystal advises and represents clients with (1) asset sales and auctions in bankruptcy and state receivership proceedings, (2) secured and unsecured creditor collections, foreclosures, and complex litigation, (3) litigation in bankruptcy and state receivership proceedings related to DIP financing, critical vendor status, executory contracts and leases, claims objections, avoidance actions, and stay relief, and (4) bank representation in garnishments and loan and forbearance documentation.

In addition, Crystal represents Fee Examiners and Fee Committees in large Chapter 11 cases, providing qualitative and quantitative analysis of professional fee applications and resolving disputes through negotiation and litigation.

Before concentrating on restructuring, Crystal advised clients on acquisitions, commercial real estate issues, and commercial contracts across a range of industries. Her background in commercial litigation, insurance defense, and criminal defense adds depth to her ability to navigate contested matters and develop practical, outcome-oriented solutions.

Crystal maintains a strong pro bono practice. She takes prisoner rights cases in the Eastern and Western districts of Wisconsin, has volunteered with the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic, serves as a judge for high school and law school mock trial and moot court competitions, and coaches St. Norbert College’s Mock Trial team alongside Brown County Circuit Court Judge Marc Hammer. In addition to her legal practice, Crystal teaches Administrative Law at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay. She works with upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in the Public Administration program, offering practical insights into the regulatory process, agency decision-making, and judicial review. Her teaching reflects her commitment to public service and legal education.

Before joining Godfrey & Kahn, she practiced litigation at a Fox Valley law firm, clerked for Hon. Michael E. Keasler at the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and interned at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont.