Bankruptcy Law Research

By Fred Dingledy
Updated December 2023

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Some resources on this page are subscription databases that require a W&M ID and password for off-campus access. Be sure to access these resources using a link from the law library's or Swem Library's website. Lexis and Westlaw require individual IDs and passwords for both off-campus and on-campus access.

Some resources on this page are subscription databases that require a W&M ID and password for off-campus access. Be sure to access these resources using a link from the law library's or Swem Library's website.

Lexis, Westlaw, and Bloomberg Law require individual IDs and passwords for both off-campus and on-campus access.

Books
Library Catalog

To search for books, journals, and audiovisual materials held by William & Mary libraries, use the online catalog.

Search Tips:
  • Subject Queries--
    • Banking Law--United States
    • Bankruptcy--United States
    • Debtor and Creditor--United States
    • Collection Laws—United States
    • Collection Agencies--Law and Legislation—United States
    • Consumer Credit--Law and Legislation--United States
    • Corporate Reorganizations--United States
    • Trusts and Trustees--United States
  • Remember that individual jurisdictions can be searched, e.g. bankruptcy and Virginia.

Library of Congress Call Numbers for Bankruptcy Law: KF1501 to KF1544. Browse the shelves under these call numbers to locate relevant treatises.

To search for materials from other libraries, use the Worldcat database.

Selected Treatises

Aaron, Richard I. Bankruptcy Law Fundamentals. Annual. Available on Westlaw.

Adeyemo, Megan M. & Rafael X. Zahralddin-Aravena, eds. Reorganizing Failing Businesses. 3d ed. 2 vols. Volume 1 and volume 2 are available on Bloomberg Law.
KF1544 .R46 2017

Collier on Bankruptcy. 16th ed. KF1524 C633 Available on Lexis.

Drake, The Hon. W. Homer (Jr.) et al. Chapter 13 Practice and Procedure. Annual. 2 vols. Available on Westlaw.

Eisenberg, Theodore, ed. Debtor-Creditor Law. Available on Lexis.

Epstein, David G. Bankruptcy in a Nutshell. 10th ed. Available on West Academic Study Aids.

Epstein, David G. and Steve H. Nickles. Principles of Bankruptcy Law. 2d ed. KF1524.3 .E67 (Reserve) Available on West Academic Study Aids.

Ferriell, Jeffrey T. and Edward J. Janger. Understanding Bankruptcy. 3d ed. KF1524 .F47 (Reserve)

Hansen, Mary E. Bankrupt in America: A History of Debtors, Their Creditors, and the Law in the Twentieth Century. HG3766 .H35 2020 Available as ebook.

Hobbs, Robert J. & April Kuehnhoff. Fair Debt Collection. 10th ed. 2 vols. KF1024 .H63 

Lubben, Steven J. American Business Bankruptcy: A Primer. Available on Elgar Online.

Murphy, Patrick A. et al. Creditors' Rights in Bankruptcy. 2d ed. KF1524 .M87 Available on Westlaw.

Norton Bankruptcy Law and Practice 3rd. KF1524 .N67. Available on Westlaw.

Sommer, Henry J., John Rao & Geoff Walsh. Consumer Bankruptcy Law and Practice. 13th ed. 2 vols. KF1527 .S58

Tabb, Charles Jordan. Law of Bankruptcy. 5th ed. Available on West Academic Study Aids.

Journal Articles

Indexes to Journal Articles

Legal Source

Some subjects to try--

  • Bankruptcy
  • Business failures
  • Collection agencies -- law and legislation
  • Consumer credit -- law & legislation
  • Debtor & creditor
  • Liquidation

For more information on finding law review articles, including older ones, see Locating Legal and Non-Legal Journal Articles.

Full Text Articles
Lexis Westlaw 
Looseleaf Services & Newsletters
Newsletters
  • Bankruptcy Service: Lawyers Edition, Lawyers Co-operative Pub. Co.
     Available on Westlaw.
  • Bankruptcy Law News, Bloomberg Law.
    Available through Bloomberg Law.
  • Norton Bankruptcy Law Adviser, Callaghan & Co.
    KF1524 .N6719
     Available on Westlaw.
  • West's Bankruptcy Newsletter, West Publishing Co.
    Available on Westlaw.

World Wide Web and Database Resources

American Bankruptcy
The website of the American Bankruptcy Institute. Contains links to information on U.S. bankruptcy legislation and bankruptcy news, as well as a very useful statistics section.

The Federal Judiciary - U.S. Bankruptcy Courts
Part of the website of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, this section for Bankruptcy Courts has links to statistical reports on judicial business which also includes bankruptcy proceedings. Includes links to court fee schedules, bankruptcy forms, and websites of individual bankruptcy courts, as well as basic information on bankruptcy and the filing process.

Findlaw
Aimed at the public, this section of Findlaw discusses the basics of bankruptcy (who it's for, difference between chapters 7 and 13), and has links to other resources.

National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) Digital Library (must be on campus or have W&M ID+password)
The National Consumer Law Center publishes several useful books on topics relating to bankruptcy, including fair debt collection, consumer bankruptcy, and repossessions.

Practical Law -- Bankruptcy & Restructuring (Westlaw ID+password required)
Contains articles and forms designed to help the practitioner through the stages of bankruptcy transactions and litigation.

United States Trustee Program

Division of the U.S. Department of Justice charged with overseeing the administration of bankruptcy cases. Has links to bankruptcy factsheets, trustee-issued rules, and the U.S. Trustee Manual, among other items.

Wall Street Journal
Articles on legal and financial issues of national interest. Current William & Mary faculty, staff, and students have subscriber access to the Wall Street Journal's website - go to this page to sign up.

Associations

American Bankruptcy Institute
66 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 600
Alexandria, VA 22314
tel: (703) 739-0800
Non-partisan organization devoted to bankruptcy research and education. Members include attorneys, bankers, professors, and various other bankruptcy professionals.

Commercial Law League of America
3005 Tollview Dr.
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
tel: (312) 240-1400
email: info@clla.org
North America's leading organization of professionals in the field of collections, creditor's rights, and bankruptcy. Membership open to law students.

National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees
PO Box 489
Hoschton, GA 30548
tel: (888) 566-2993
email: info@nabt.com
Organization for court-appointed trustees and others involved in bankruptcy proceedings. Website includes a bankruptcy FAQ and amicus briefs filed by the NABT.

National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges
Organization of active and former bankruptcy judges. Website includes information links to websites with information for pro se bankruptcy filers.

National Consumer Law Center
Headquarters:
 7 Winthrop Sq.
Boston, MA 02110-1245
tel: (617) 542-8010
email: consumerlaw@nclc.org
Washington, DC office:
 1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 510
Washington, DC, 20036
Phone: (202) 452-6252
Organization dedicated to helping consumers, attorneys, and public officials use consumer laws to promote marketplace justice. Publishes several very useful books for attorneys in fields related to bankruptcy, and also monitors bankruptcy legislation.