Bill Norton wants to debunk a myth. Despite sweeping changes in the law, it is still possible to file for bankruptcy.
"It just takes more money and more work to file today, but bankruptcy relief is still a viable option for individuals and businesses," said Norton, an attorney at Boult Cummings Conners and Berry in Nashville, a member of the adjunct law faculty at Vanderbilt Law School, and managing editor of the Norton Bankruptcy Law and Practice, which has just released its third edition. "As companies struggle in this economic environment and consider their options, it’s important to fully understand the changes brought about by the 2005 Bankruptcy Abuse and Prevention Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA)."
The 3rd Edition of Norton Bankruptcy Law and Practice reflects these changes. In fact, it was released three years after the BAPCPA rules were introduced to ensure it reflected the ramifications and the case law emerging from the new act.
The newly reorganized 13-volume treatise, which covers both business and consumer bankruptcy, offers step-by-step guidance through the entire bankruptcy process—from initial client interview to case conclusion—including official bankruptcy forms, tailored annotated practice forms with editors’ comments, and a new dictionary of bankruptcy terms.
As managing editor of the publication, Norton is responsible for both authoring articles and overseeing a team of contributing editors that includes more than 100 bankruptcy judges and practitioners nationwide. He also serves as co-author of a supplemental handbook, Norton Creditors’ Rights Handbook: A Guide to the Debtor-Creditor Relationship.
In addition to practicing as a partner with Boult Cummings Conners and Berry and serving on Vanderbilt’s adjunct law faculty, Norton is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and the manager of annual legal seminars focusing on advanced bankruptcy issues sponsored by Norton Institutes on Bankruptcy Law. He is also the past-president and a current board member of the American Board of Certification, an organization that certifies attorneys who specialize in the areas of creditor rights and bankruptcy law, and is a leader in the Business Bankruptcy Committee of the Business Section of the American Bar Association.
Norton Bankruptcy Law and Practice was first published by Norton’s father, the Hon. William L. Norton Jr., in 1982. The original loose-leaf treatise has since been expanded to its current 13 volumes, which is published and distributed nationally by Thompson West, a leading information provider for the practice of law.