Legal Definitions - BANKR. REP.

BANKR. REP. stands for Bankruptcy Reporter.

The Bankruptcy Reporter is a specialized series of legal publications that compiles and publishes the official written opinions (decisions) from federal bankruptcy courts across the United States. These volumes serve as a crucial resource for legal professionals, including lawyers, judges, and legal researchers, who need to understand how bankruptcy laws are interpreted and applied in specific cases. By consulting the Bankruptcy Reporter, they can find precedents, analyze judicial reasoning, and ensure consistency in the application of bankruptcy law.

• Imagine a law student is researching the legal implications of a debtor attempting to discharge credit card debt after a recent luxury purchase. To understand how courts have handled similar situations, the student would consult the Bankruptcy Reporter to find actual judicial opinions where judges have ruled on the dischargeability of debts incurred shortly before filing for bankruptcy. They might then cite a specific case from the Bankruptcy Reporter in their research paper to illustrate a particular legal principle.

  This example demonstrates how the Bankruptcy Reporter serves as a primary source for legal research, providing access to real-world judicial interpretations of complex bankruptcy statutes.

• A lawyer representing a client who wants to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy needs to determine if their client's assets are exempt from liquidation. The lawyer would review relevant cases published in the Bankruptcy Reporter to see how judges in their jurisdiction, or in similar cases elsewhere, have interpreted specific exemption laws. By understanding these precedents, the lawyer can advise their client accurately and cite authoritative case law to support their client's claims in court.

  This example illustrates the practical application of the Bankruptcy Reporter in legal practice, where attorneys use it to find binding or persuasive case law to guide their legal strategies and arguments.

• A federal bankruptcy judge is presiding over a dispute between a debtor and a creditor regarding the valuation of a piece of real estate in a Chapter 13 repayment plan. To ensure their decision is consistent with established legal principles and prior rulings, the judge or their law clerk might refer to specific volumes of the Bankruptcy Reporter. They would look for cases that have addressed similar valuation methodologies or disputes, using these past decisions to inform their current ruling and maintain judicial consistency.

  This example shows how the Bankruptcy Reporter is utilized by the judiciary itself as a reference tool, helping judges to apply the law consistently and fairly by drawing upon the collective body of bankruptcy case law.