William H. Brown, Consumer Bankruptcy Law: Chapters 7 & 13, Second Edition

The Federal Judicial Center publishes online Judge Brown’s second edition of an overview of Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy.

As of June 12, 2025, the public may download the pdf of the publication. The publication is a revision of a first edition published in 2014, with updated case references and citations.

This monograph provides an overview of consumer bankruptcy law and describes the statutory framework for bankruptcy relief under Chapters 7 and 13 of the Bankruptcy Code, Title 11 of the United States Code. 

The monograph describes the types of facts and legal issues that arise in the bankruptcy and appellate courts, highlighting the relevant and principal Supreme Court, appellate, and trial court authority. Important circuit conflicts are examined where applicable.

William-1_print_2019
Editor/Adviser, Academy for Consumer Bankruptcy Education

The Honorable William Houston Brown retired in 2006 as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Tennessee, and he had been designated to sit also in the Middle District of Tennessee, Southern District of Florida, Eastern District of Michigan and Western District of Kentucky. Judge Brown served a four-year term on the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Sixth Circuit from 1999 through 2002. He received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he was Order of the Coif. Judge Brown is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, having served on its Board and Executive Committee, and he is a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy. He is the author or co-author of several texts, including Bankruptcy Exemption Manual, 2005 Bankruptcy Reform Legislation with Analysis 1st and 2d editions, Bankruptcy and Domestic Relations Manual, The Law of Debtors and Creditors, as well as bankruptcy form books, all published by Thomson West. He is also a principal contributing editor for Norton Bankruptcy Law and Practice 3rd, published by Thomson West. Judge Brown prepares a quarterly update of consumer cases for the Federal Judicial Center, which distributes those materials to all bankruptcy judges, and he is a speaker at the Federal Judicial Center’s annual seminars for bankruptcy judges. He also speaks regularly at seminars throughout the United States, on consumer bankruptcy topics. Judge Brown co-authors Chapter 13 Bankruptcy 4th ed., a digital publication, available at ch13online.com. Judge Brown also acts as a mediator in bankruptcy-related disputes, has conducted mock trials, and has testified as an expert witness in bankruptcy court proceedings.

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