Sheila E. Calello

Sheila E. Calello is a Partner at McCarter & English, LLP and Chair of the firm’s Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Litigation Practice. With more than 25 years of experience, she represents lenders and creditors in workouts, commercial litigation, foreclosures, loan sales, forbearance agreements, and bankruptcy proceedings. Her counsel is valued in both robust and distressed economies, where clients rely on her to recover funds, restructure troubled loans, and protect their rights in state and federal courts.

Sheila earned her J.D., summa cum laude, from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1991, where she contributed scholarly writings on constitutional law. She received her B.S. from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1985. She is admitted to practice in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as well as before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Sheila’s extensive practice covers a wide range of commercial property and collateral matters. She has handled multimillion-dollar foreclosure actions for real estate companies, financial institutions, and special servicers, achieving full recoveries, default interest, and prepayment fees for her clients. Sheila’s appellate experience includes co-authoring briefs in In re Jason Realty before the Third Circuit, establishing a lender’s entitlement to rents under an assignment of rents. She also contributed to amicus briefs before the New Jersey Supreme Court on fraudulent transfer law.

Recognized for her excellence, Sheila E. Calello is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights and Litigation–Bankruptcy (2023–2026). She was also named among NJBIZ’s Best 50 Women in Business.

A frequent lecturer and writer, Sheila speaks on loan enforcement, bankruptcy remedies, and collection strategies. She is an active member of the American Bar Association, the National Association of Women Lawyers, and the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council.

Law Office Affiliations

• Partner, McCarter & English, LLP
• Member, Commercial Real Estate Finance Council
• Member, National Association of Women Lawyers
• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, New Jersey State Bar Association

Licensed State

• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania

Education

• Seton Hall University School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Carnegie-Mellon University
  Bachelor of Science (BS)

Awards & Badges