Chapter 11: Essentials

Clearly and succinctly written. It's a great intro into the American bankruptcy process. For law students, if you know you're going to take a Bankruptcy Course - I'd read this a week before you start so you have a 30,000 foot view.

First, a few things to understand about this book:- Yes, THAT Elizabeth Warren, as in Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).- The title of the book is "Chapter 11: Reorganizing American Businesses". This means that: (1) Liquidating (Chapter 7) bankruptcy is not covered, (2) Individual (Chapter 13) reorganization is not covered, and (3) Liquidating Chapter 11 is not really covered. A lot of reviewers seem to have forgotten that.- The summary on the reverse characterizes the book as a "forest but not the trees" view of a Chapter 11 law school course. This means that this is NOT: (1) A legal treatise, (2) a casebook, or (3) a nutshell or other "pocket reference" for lawyers. Yet more reviewers forget this.So what is this book?This is a bird's-eye view of Chapter 11. It tracks what a typical law school Bankruptcy outline would follow, specifically: The Estate, The Stay, The DIP/TIB, The DIP/TIB's powers, The Plan, Jurisdiction, and Foreign Bankruptcy. Not surprisingly, it closely parallels Sen. Warren's *actual* casebook:  The Law of Debtors and Creditors: Text, Cases, and Problems, Sixth Edition (Loose-leaf version) This text is ideal for a few types of people: (1) Law students who have not yet taken Bankruptcy but want to test the waters, (2) Business students interested in turnaround management, (3) Business owners considering Chapter 11, and (4) Nonlawyers who want to better understand what Chapter 11 is all about.Sen. Warren's writing style is accessible to people whose eyes glaze over at the mention of things like "non-assignable executory contracts", so I would absolutely recommend this to both lawyers and nonlawyers as a down-to-earth and frank appraisal of bankruptcy law from one of the nation's leading Bankruptcy experts.

This book is very well written. It explains what happens during bankruptcy and how it works, and explains the reasons for why the rules are as they are. The book is extremely factual, which is what I was looking for and wasn't disappointed on. Warren does an excellent job of repeating certain key points just enough to make them really sink in even if you just read the book a little bit at a time. The book seems to be written for law students. I am not one of those but the writing is accessible enough for someone in finance or economics to read it with full comprehension. I found it eye opening to learn what a creditor can expect should a debtor enter Chapter 11.It should be made clear however that the book is not for small business owners or individuals who want to learn how to declare bankruptcy. And a law students might benefit from knowing that there are only occasional references to a few cases, a fact which worked for me.Lastly, I don't get why there is so much political angst against Warren as of late, who I think is brilliant and talented. But that said, this is an educational law book and has absolutely no political objective, neither hidden or visible. It is just a book about the facts and is an extremely thorough and thoughtful writing that got a stranger like me up to speed on the subject of bankruptcy. After reading this, I'm well prepared to tackle some case readings or academic papers on the subject should I choose to do so.

Notwithstanding my agreement/disagreement with Elizabeth Warren's political aspirations (hint: it shouldn't matter), I found this book to be an excellent primer for a person looking for a 30,000 foot view of the Chapter 11 process. I found this book to be a great read - tough to say with this kind of subject matter, and I read it over a long weekend at the beach. This is not to say, however, that the book glosses over important issues and concepts; I found it to be a very fulsome discussion and overview. Further, the author not only discusses the law as it is written, but applies examples and background as to why things are as they are.

Looking at this book from the viewpoint of a non-American lawyer interested in the basic nuts and bolts of the U.S. Chapter 11, this is a very useful place to start. The alternative is quite a gruelling process of finding, and reading through, dozens of papers written on the subject over the last 30 or so years, so in this respect, a very useful shorthand.Those who have read the papers will recognize, though, that Professor Warren is not always entirely neutral in her narrative. She has certainly been an important voice in the debate over the last couple of decades but by no means the only one. In this book, she at times presents her views of things as if they were the only views or anyway, the prevailing ones. That is not necessarily the case.To be sure, the "Essentials" genre dictates limitations to the discusssion, and to footnotes indicating differing opinions and arguments. Enjoy the book but do not always take if at face value, esp. where it discusses points of legal policy, as opposed to legal mechanics. There is at times much more than the text renders.

I don't care much for the author's politics but if you can keep politics out of your decision, this is a good book.

We appreciated how inexpensive and fast we were able to get this book. Thank you!

This book is thorough and clear. It is an absolute must read for anyone considering Chapter 11 or knows someone who is.