S. Consumer Bankruptcy Law and Public Interest Lawyering

This course explores how fundamental social problems—homelessness, poverty, racism, gaps in social safety nets—create issues of economic justice that can be addressed through consumer bankruptcy law and other laws governing credit markets. We bring public interest lawyers to the classroom to talk about how bankruptcy impacts (or is impacted by) the social problems that their organizations address, including divorce, domestic violence, and homelessness. We will also talk to public interest lawyers whose organizations (e.g., New York’s Bankruptcy Assistance Project) focus on increasing access to bankruptcy laws. Students will meet clients at the Bankruptcy Assistance Project and similar organizations. Students will write memos and make presentations about the potential and limits of consumer bankruptcy law as a form of economic justice. The memos and presentations will draw on academic literature, presentations by practitioners, and meetings with clients.