It used to be that you could only find Bankruptcy Law Codes and Regulations in books, but not anymore. The Internet allows access to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and state bankruptcy laws. You can access this information for free, or you can pay for more comprehensive annotated versions of the federal bankruptcy code and state laws.

You can also find bankruptcy regulations, and bankruptcy law changes online. In addition, you can find case law interpreting the bankruptcy code, and numerous commentaries on bankruptcy law changes and what they mean.

When looking for Bankruptcy Codes and Regulations, you should know:

1. It's easy to find the United States bankruptcy code and federal bankruptcy regulations, but it's more difficult to find the various state bankruptcy laws, and even more difficult to find comprehensive case interpretations of the bankruptcy laws.

2. The more information you need about the bankruptcy codes and regulations, the more likely you are to have to pay for that information.

3. A new US bankruptcy code law which substantially changed the U.S. Bankruptcy Code was passed in 2005. As a result, the Chapter 7 bankruptcy laws and Chapter 13 bankruptcy laws are very different now than they previously were.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Go to the free bankruptcy code resources first

The free Internet websites covering the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and the state bankruptcy codes are very helpful and good places to start with first.

I recommend: The Cornell University Legal Institute offers one of the best websites for the United States bankruptcy code, bankruptcy regulations and the most recent cases interpreting bankruptcy law. Findlaw is another place that gives you access to the federal material, in addition to providing information on bankruptcy attorneys in all fifty states. For state bankruptcy laws, one of the best resources is a site called Start Fresh Today, which has a state-by-state guide to bankruptcy codes.

Be prepared to pay for more comprehensive bankruptcy code resources

The most thorough websites containing bankruptcy codes and reguations are the ones you have to pay for.

I recommend: In terms of online legal research, Westlaw and LexisNexis offer the best resources, and they both have comprehensive looks at the bankruptcy code for the U.S. and all fifty states. They feature annotated laws, meaning bankruptcy codes that have cases interpreting their provisions tied into them, in addition to law reviews, practice guides and other resources analyzing bankruptcy codes. A lower cost and less comprehensive alternative is Loislaw. All of these sites offer credit card based flexible buying plans to access their information.

Utilize the extensive commentary on the Internet to understand the laws of bankruptcy better

You can find interpretations of the bankruptcy codes that will help you make sense out of the new bankruptcy laws.

I recommend: Nolo.com features FAQ's and articles on the new bankruptcy law passed in 2005 and its effect on both chapter 13 and chapter 7 filings. The Bankruptcy Law Network has an extensive archive of commentary that helps make the bankruptcy laws a little more clear.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Watch out for outdated bankruptcy law information. Use the websites listed above for the latest information.
• •  The United States Bankruptcy Code is complex, and all states have their own bankruptcy laws. For anything but the most simple bankruptcy case, a non-lawyer should not rely on their own research.
• •  While changes in the bankruptcy codes happen with some frequency, changes in regulations and new cases interpreting the codes happen much more frequently. This is usually how bankruptcy changes happen.