Bankruptcy

The law of bankruptcy is codified in Title 11 of the United States Code. Procedural rules on bankruptcy can be found in the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure and local rules for each court. Bankruptcy cases are heard by United States Bankruptcy Courts.  Bankruptcy cases are described by the chapters of the Bankruptcy Code under which they are filed:

• Chapter 7: Liquidation
• Chapter 9: Adjustment of Debts of a Municipality
• Chapter 11: Reorganization
• Chapter 12: Adjustment of Debts of a Family Farmer or Fisherman with Regular Annual Income
• Chapter 13: Adjustment of Debts of an Individual with Regular Income
• Chapter 15: Ancillary and Other Cross-Border Cases

Glossaries of Bankruptcy Terminology:

• Glossary of Legal Terms (including bankruptcy) and Bankruptcy Basics Glossary:  Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
• Norton Dictionary of Bankruptcy Terms (Westlaw) 
• Bernstein's Dictionary of Bankruptcy Terminology: From the law firm Bernstein-Burkley,PC

Introductory resources on bankruptcy :

• Bankruptcy Basics: A Primer (CRS Report R45137)
• Bankruptcy Basics: A publication of the Bankruptcy Judges Division of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
• Bankruptcy Desk Guide (Westlaw)
• Bankruptcy Overview: Issues, Law, and Policy (Bloomberg)

Bankruptcy Study Aids on Reserve in the MacMillan Law Library or in the online West Academic Study Aids package:

Originally published February 21, 2018 by Amy Flick.

Updated June 3, 2024  by Amy Flick.

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