Bankruptcy

The bankruptcy lawyer must use both transactional and litigation skills in practice. Bankruptcy is a dispute resolution process, governed by the federal bankruptcy code, by which a debtor reorganizes or dissolves debts according to priority established by law. A bankruptcy lawyer represents the debtor or creditors in the process.

Reorganized or dissolved debts implicate many types of financial instruments, contracts, employment relations, property and family law. Practice in this area is circumscribed by the federal procedural rules and also by many focused Bankruptcy rules, both local and nationwide. Within a single bankruptcy, there may be many disputes that require independent resolution through litigation or settlement. Bankruptcy lawyers can work for large or small firms, in-house or state and federal government and public interest organizations.