Getting Started
Getting Started with this guide
This guide is meant to help you find laws and information on bankruptcy issues; the goal is to provide useful (but not exhaustive) resources. Research requires analysis and synthesis of information, and no one resource will likely provide sufficient information or data on any given topic.
Use the tabs at the right while conducting your research to explore:
- Laws and regulations governing bankruptcy issues
- Government agencies controlling bankruptcy issues
- Practice and study aids, i.e., bankruptcy treatises
- News sources, including blogs
- Practical and scholarly articles
The Administrative Office of the US Courts has an overview of Bankruptcy Basics, including summaries of the process, the differences between chapters 7, 11, and 13, and a glossary for your review.
For many of the databases in this guide, you will need your Harvard University ID and PIN. For others, you may need to register to gain access. If you have any trouble accessing a database, please contact the library.
Primary Sources
Statutes and Regulations
- HeinOnline's History of Bankruptcy: Taxation & Economic Reform in America Part IIIProvides access to legislative histories of major bankruptcy acts and landmark reforms, treatises, books and legal classics, documents, and other materials relating to the historic and current development of bankruptcy laws in the United States. Also included are links to scholarly articles selected for their significance to the study of bankruptcy laws.
Case Law
Secondary Sources
Journals & Articles
- American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review
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Use Westlaw to search this publication dedicated to bankruptcy issues. - Collier on Bankruptcy 16th edition
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- Norton Bankruptcy Law & PracticeAvailable online via Westlaw.
- Emory Bankruptcy Developments JournalPublished since 1984 and the only student-run bankruptcy journal in the United States, the Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal publishes semi-annually.
- Business Source Complete (Harvard Login)Multi-disciplinary database with over 300 legal and law-related periodicals
- Google Scholar (Harvard PIN required)Stand on the shoulders of giants. This link for Google Scholar includes the Find it @ Harvard links.
- HeinOnline JournalsUse the Advanced Search to focus in on your specific issues.
- HG.org's Bankruptcy Law ArticlesArticles written by attorneys and experts worldwide discussing legal aspects related to bankruptcy.
- Social Science Research Network (SSRN)New scholarship including working papers in law and economics.
Google Scholar
HeinOnline
Search Law Journal Library
Government
Government Resources
- Administrative Office of the US CourtsAll bankruptcy cases are handled in federal courts under rules outlined in the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
- Federal Trade CommissionFiling for Bankruptcy: What to Know
- IRS - bankruptcyFor individuals, the most common type of bankruptcy is a Chapter 13. Partnerships and corporations file bankruptcy under Chapter 7 or Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code.
- SEC - Investor BulletinBankruptcy for a Public Company
- US Department of Justice - Fact SheetsBankruptcy fact sheets including information on the US Trustee Program, overview of the Bankruptcy Code, consumer and corporate bankruptcy.
- House Judiciary CommitteeThe Judiciary Committee is responsible for House action and legislation on bankruptcy.
- Senate Committee on the JudiciaryThe Senate Committee on the Judiciary is responsible for Senate action on bankruptcy.
Practice Materials & Study Aids
Study Aids
- Bankruptcy BasicsVideos from the Federal Judiciary.
- Collier on Bankruptcy 16th edition
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- Getting the Deal Through (Lexology)The Getting the Deal Through (GTDT) module of Lexology lets you quickly compare laws across different countries and includes a Topic on "Restructuring & Insolvency."
Practice Pages
- Bloomberg Law - Bankruptcy
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- LexisAdvance - Bankruptcy
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- Westlaw - Bankruptcy
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Data
Data
- BankruptcyData.com
Access is available on the Harvard Law School campus. Off-campus access is available to current HLS affiliates and controlled by Harvard Key.
BankruptcyData.com is a resource that provides detailed information on business bankruptcy filings and liquidations. It offers access to bankruptcy case summaries, court documents, and financial data, facilitating in-depth research and analysis. This database supports academic and legal research by delivering up-to-date insights and historical data on corporate bankruptcies, helping scholars and practitioners understand trends and outcomes in bankruptcy law.
- Florida-UCLA-LoPucki Bankruptcy Research DatabaseThe UCLA-LoPucki Bankruptcy Research Database (BRD) is a data collection, data linking, and data dissemination project of the UCLA School of Law. The BRD's mission is to promote bankruptcy research by making bankruptcy data available to academic researchers throughout the world. The BRD contains data on all of the more than one-thousand large public companies that have filed bankruptcy cases since October 1, 1979. Coverage includes cases filed under Chapter 7 and Chapter 11, whether filed by the debtors or creditors. NOTE: Data is no longer being updated and covers changes to the end of December 2022.
Current Awareness
News
Find current news, cases, analysis, and monitoring of bankruptcy topics from these resources.
- BloombergBNA Bankruptcy Law Reporter
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- Financial TimesSubscription required (and available to members of the HLS community). With a subscription, you can set up a personal "My FT" that follows specific topics (e.g., Bankruptcy).
Blogs
- American Bar Association - Business Bankruptcy CommitteeResource page for the ABA's Business Bankruptcy Committee. Provides public access to Newsletters, Podcasts, and other content. Additional materials available to members only.
- Harvard Law School Bankruptcy RoundtableThe Harvard Law School Bankruptcy Roundtable brings together corporate bankruptcy practitioners with bankruptcy scholars in an online venue to discuss critical issues in corporate bankruptcy. The Harvard Law School Bankruptcy Roundtable is an initiative of the Harvard Law School Bankruptcy and Corporate Restructuring Project.
- WSJ.com Pro -- BankruptcySubscription required (and available to members of the HLS community).
- Weil Restructuring BlogViews and developments in the restructuring world from the Restructuring team at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.
- Mintz Bankruptcy & Restructuring ViewpointsA practitioner blog from the firm Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.
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