ABCs of Debt: A Case Study Approach to Debtor/Creditor Relations and Bankruptcy Law, Sixth Edition

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Stephen Parsons’ The ABCs of Debt provides the most practical, realistic, and comprehensive tools for today’s students to study and master debtor-creditor relations and the bankruptcy process.

The ABCs of Debt is unsurpassed in the foundation it lays for students regarding the creation and collection of secured and unsecured debt by both judicial and nonjudicial means. The text then leads them in a practical and realistic manner through Chapter 7, Chapter 13, and Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases in the actual way those cases begin, unfold, and ultimately play out in the offices of attorneys for debtors and creditors and bankruptcy trustees. The use of realistic and thorough case studies throughout the text forms a hands-on approach that bridges the gap between merely understanding debtor/creditor and bankruptcy concepts and knowing how to use them with confidence. Applying the Law exercises and optional drafting exercises develop the practical skills and working knowledge of a paralegal.   

New to the Sixth Edition:

• Six recent Supreme Court cases that address critical issues regarding debt collection and bankruptcy
• Legislative changes impacting bankruptcy practice:
  • The new Subchapter V proceeding for small business debtors filing under Chapter 11
  • Temporary pandemic-related modifications to the definition of income under Chapter 7 and disposable income under Chapter 13
• Freshened and updated Examples and Problem-Hypotheticals
• A new Sidenotes feature providing students opportunities to learn more about topics that interest them and that will enrich classroom discussions

Professors and students will benefit from:

• Realistic case studies that add a strong skill-building component to any study of bankruptcy law
• Problem-Hypotheticals in which students apply points made in the text to realistic situations
• A sequential organization of bankruptcy topics that mirrors practice
• Ethical Considerations that highlight relevant ethical or professional challenges presented by the topic under discussion
• Highlighted case excerpts accompanied by Applying the Law exercises that link doctrine to practice
• Engaging and informative text boxes
• Key Concepts at the start of each chapter
• Chapter summaries, review questions, and sample forms
• Optional drafting exercises using hypothetical cases under Chapters 7, 11, and 13

Teaching materials include:

• Complete instructor’s manual with teaching guide and tips, course syllabus, answers to end-of-chapter review questions, and drafting exercises with grading matrixes
• Test bank with sample questions in the forms of true/false, fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, and short essay
• PowerPoint lecture slides
• A Sidenotes File containing detailed information to complement the Sidenotes feature in the text