Christine Hayes Hickey

Christine Hayes Hickey

Indiana Creditors’ Rights and Collection Lawyer

Firm managing partner Christine Hayes Hickey has more than 25 years of experience representing clients in creditors’ rights, collections, and commercial litigation matters.

In her collection practice, she represents creditors and collection agencies nationwide in commercial matters, including contract and credit application review, collection of trade debt, lease obligations, sale of goods and secured transactions, floor plan financing, insurance, banking, and all nature of services provided and collection of receivables.  She pursues litigation against debtors and levies against assets to collect the debt and satisfy judgments.

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How I Help

I help creditors in two important ways – helping to protect clients at the start of the credit relationship and bringing years of focused practice, experience, and efficiencies in commercial litigation to the collections process.

Effective and efficient problem solving is critical to maximizing recoveries for creditors. I am a firm believer in implementing efficiencies at every stage of our involvement, from a proactive approach with paperless technology to creating proven procedures that make us a more efficient and cost-effective partner for our clients. Not only are we continuously innovating in legal efficiencies and technologies, we also believe in fee-based risk and cost-sharing efforts with clients.

Ms. Hayes Hickey is extremely active in Indiana and national bar activities, as well as a number of philanthropic organizations.

She recently served on the American Bar Association Board of Governors (2019- 2022), including the ABA Executive Committee (2021-2022), and has served as  President of the National Conference of Bar Presidents, the National Conference of Bar Foundations, the Indianapolis Bar Association, and the Indianapolis Bar Foundation.  She is only one of two attorneys nationwide to have held the title of President of the two national legal organizations, NCBP and NCBF.  She presently serves as an appointee on several Indiana Supreme Court committees and task forces and she serves as a Blessings in a Backpack Program Coordinator for six local elementary schools.  She has twice served as Chair of the Indianapolis Bar Associations Bar Leader Series, and for many years has co-chaired the IndyBar’s Semiannual Bar Exam Review study course assisting hundreds of Indiana attorneys earn their admission to practice law.

  • Selected to the 2021, 2022, and 2023 The Best Lawyers in America®.  Recognized in the Commercial Litigation section.     www.bestlawyers.com
  • 2021, 2022, 2023 Best Lawyers® Commercial Litigation;
  • Appointed to the Indiana Supreme Court Innovation Initiative on Civil Litigation Taskforce January 2021-2022
  • American Bar Association Board of Governors 2019-2022
  • American Bar Association Executive Committee 2021-2022
  • Appointed to Indiana Supreme Court Rules Committee 2017-2022; re-appointed 2022-2027
  • Appointed to the Indiana Supreme Court Records Access & Management Committee for three-year term commencing July 1, 2019.
  • Selected as one of Indianapolis Business Journal’s 2018 Women of Influence
  • 2018 Recipient of the Indianapolis Bar Association Board of Directors’ Award
  • 2017-2018 President of National Conference of Bar Presidents
  • Recipient Distinguished Barristers Award, 2015 (one of 16 lawyers state-wide)
  • Elected into the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation 2013
  • 2009-2023 Martindale-Hubbell® AV-Preeminent Rating; inclusion in Martindale-Hubbell® Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers™
  • 2010 President of Indianapolis Bar Association
  • 2009-2010 President of National Conference of Bar Foundations
  • A 2009 recipient of IBA President’s Award for Service to the Bar
  • 2007 – 2023 Named a Super Lawyer, which recognizes the top 5% of attorneys in the State of Indiana
  • Named in the Top 25 Female Lawyers in the State of Indiana by Super Lawyers 2007, 2010 – 2012
  • 2006-2008 President of Indianapolis Bar Foundation
  • A 2005 recipient of IBA President’s Award for Service to the Profession
  • Named one of the top ten finalists in 2005 by Indy’s Best and Brightest in the Law category
  • 2003 recipient of the IBA Board of Directors’ Award
  • Indianapolis Bar Foundation Distinguished Fellow
  • Only female certified in Indiana in Creditor’s Rights by the American Board of Certification from 2001 to 2015
  • Best Article Award, Res Gestae, 1996
  • Speaker, IBA Applied Professionalism Course, If I Knew Then What I Know Now
  • Speaker,  American Bar Association Bar Leader Institute    2012, 2013, 2014, 2018
  • Speaker, Legal Aspects of Collection, IACC  2014, 2016, 2017, 2018
  • Speaker, I Have a Judgment, Now What? Indianapolis Bar Association (2014)
  • Speaker, Collections: Tips for Going Green, ICLEF (2013)
  • Speaker, Bar Presidents as Membership Ambassadors, American Bar Association Bar Leader Institute (2013 and 2014)
  • Speaker, The Importance of Credit Terms, NACM Spring Conference (2012)
  • Speaker, Effective Leadership, American Bar Association Bar Leader Institute (2012)
  • Speaker, Indiana Spring Judicial Conference, Judgments and Collections (2012)
  • Developing a Successful Collection Practice, ICLEF (2009)
  • I Have a Judgment, Now What? Indianapolis Bar Association (2009)
  • Transforming Debt to Judgment, National Business Institute (2007)
  • Collections, “Fair Debt Collection Practices Act”, ICLEF (2006)
  • Collection Tips: Telling the Old and New from the Tried and True, Indianapolis Bar Association (2006)
  • Indiana State Law Update on Collections (2005)
  • Turning Judgments Into Green, Compliance With the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, ICLEF (2003)
  • Collections: Show Me the Money (Part II), ICLEF (2001, seminar Chair)
  • Introduction to Collection Law in Indiana, Lorman Education Services (2000, 2001)
  • The Best Defense is No Defense: Article 2A and the Finance Lease, CLLA, Creditors’ Rights Section Free Press (1999)
  • Spousal Avoidance Powers: Regulation B As a Defense, CLLA, Creditors’ Rights Section Free Press (1998)
  • Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Commercial and Bankruptcy Law Seminar (1997)
  • “Collecting From the Creative Debtor: Actions for Fraudulent Conveyances and Successor Liability Within a Proceedings Supplemental,” ICLEF (1997) (Collections: Show Me the Money, Seminar Chair)
  • “Complying With the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act,” Res Gestae (1996), Best Article Award 1995-96
  • “Planning Your First Collections Through Post-Judgment,” ICLEF (1996)
  • “Collecting Your Judgments,” ICLEF (1995)
  • “Lien & Bond Claims Against Federal State and Local Projects,” ICLEF (1994)

Energy and persistence conquer all things.

Benjamin Franklin
  • J.D., magna cum laude, Robert H. McKinney Indiana University School of Law (1993)
  • Purdue University, BA Technical Writing (1988)
  • Indiana State Bar
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana
  • American Bar Association Executive Committee Member (2021-2022)
  • American Bar Association Board of Governors District 18 Representative (2019-2022)
  • Indiana Supreme Court Rules Committee, Member (2017- present)
  • Indiana Supreme Court Remote Access Committee, Member
  • Indiana Supreme Court Eviction Diversion Task Force  (2021-2022)
  • Indiana Supreme Court Landlord Tenant Task Force (2020-2021)
  • Indiana Supreme Court Ad Hoc Committee for E-Filing Rules
  • Indiana Supreme Court Judgment Docket Task Force
  • Indiana Supreme Court Records Management Committee (Term ended 2022)
  • Marion Circuit Court Small Claims Advisory Committee
  • National Conference of Bar Presidents President 2017-2018; Executive Council 2012-2019;  Life Fellow
  • National Conference of Bar Foundations President 2009-2010
  • Indianapolis Bar Association President 2010; Board of Directors 2008- present
  • Indianapolis Bar Foundation President 2006-2008; Distinguished Fellow
  • American Bar Foundation Fellow
  • Indiana State and American Bar Associations
  • Indiana Association of Commercial Collectors
  • Commercial Collection Agencies of America
  • Former Board member and Creditors’ Rights Section Chair, Commercial Law League of America
  • American Board of Certification, former Board Member (only female attorney in Indiana certified in the area of creditors’ rights law from 2001 to 2015)
  • Blessings in a Backpack, Program Coordinator Center Grove Schools (2012-present)
  • Shaw-Burckhardt-Brenner Foundation, Member of the Board of Directors