Bankruptcy Litigation and Practice: A Practitionerand’s Guide, Fourth Edition serves as the comprehensive reference on bankruptcy litigation topics for legal practitioners in all specialties. For the generalist and commercial law practitioner it clarifies basic Bankruptcy Code issues and practical features of bankruptcy litigation including consumer bankruptcies, business and corporate reorganizations, liquidations and personal debt restructuring. For the bankruptcy professional, it serves as a sophisticated compendium of reliable forms, recent case law, and statutory amendments relating to all major bankruptcy topics including: Automatic stay Preferences Dischargeability Executory contracts The Chapter 11 confirmation process Appellate procedures Chapter 13 individual debt restructurings The rights and obligations of secured and unsecured creditors And much more! Only Bankruptcy Litigation and Practice: A Practitionerand’s Guide delivers instant access to: An exclusive collection of key bankruptcy litigation resource materials Practical insights into the bankruptcy court system A consolidated presentation and analysis of bankruptcy provisions common to all cases Reliable, practice-based coverage of Chapter 7, 11, 12, and 13 cases Bankruptcy Litigation and Practice: A Practitionerand’s Guide delivers broad coverage that keeps you completely current with the latest law in all key areas. Updated twice annually, this one-of-a-kind reference serves as the foundation of your bankruptcy library by providing: The starting point for researching the widest range of bankruptcy litigation issues A guide throughout all stages of bankruptcy litigation A consolidated resource and practical tool that combines case law and analysis as well as a valuable CD-ROM to help you navigate familiar and unfamiliar areas of bankruptcy litigation

This Handbook is designed to help people dealing with civil lawsuits in federal court without legal representation. Proceeding without a lawyer is called proceeding "pro se1," a Latin phrase meaning "for oneself," or sometimes "in propria persona," meaning "in his or her own person." Representing yourself in a lawsuit can be complicated, time consuming, and costly. Failing to follow court procedures can mean losing your case. For these reasons, you are urged to work with a lawyer if possible. Chapter 2 gives suggestions on finding a lawyer. Do not rely entirely on this Handbook. This Handbook provides a summary of civil lawsuit procedures, but it may not cover all procedures that may apply in your case. It also does not teach you about the laws that will control your case. Make sure you read the applicable federal and local court rules and do your own research at a law library or online to understand your case. The United States District Court for the Northern District of California has Clerk's Offices in the San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland courthouses. Clerk's Office staff can answer general questions, but they cannot give you any legal advice. For example, they cannot help you decide what to do in your lawsuit, tell you what the law means, or even advise you when documents are due. There are Legal Help Centers in the San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose courthouses where you can get free help with your lawsuit from an attorney who can help you prepare documents and give limited legal advice. This attorney will not be your lawyer and you will still be representing yourself. See Chapter 2 for more details.