The United States bankruptcy law is largely found within Title 11 of the United States Code (known as the Bankruptcy Code). The Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure govern the procedural aspects of bankruptcy cases. While the Bankruptcy Code and Bankruptcy Rules are available in print, a number of series have created annotated versions that contain references to relevant judicial decisions, law review articles, and practice materials.

Free Online Resources

• U.S. Bankruptcy Code: An online resource that is prepared by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the United States House of Representatives.
• Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure: An online resource that was created for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary House of Representatives.

Westlaw and Lexis+ Resources 

• United States Code Annotated (Westlaw)
• United States Code Service (Lexis+)

Chapter 1 of the Bankruptcy Code begins with a list of definitions. See 11 U.S.C. § 101. While this list includes many important terms, not all terms are defined. Moreover, bankruptcy practitioners and scholars tend to use words and terms unique to bankruptcy law (i.e., terms of art). The following resources may be a helpful supplement to the definitions listed in the Bankruptcy Code:

• Bankruptcy Basics Glossary: A resource from the U.S. Courts that lists common terms researchers will encounter in the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure.
• Berstein's Dictionary of Bankruptcy Terminology: An extensive dictionary published by the law firm Bernstein and Burkley that also contains the most commonly used bankruptcy terms.
• "Hooray for Gibberish - A Glossary of Bankruptcy Slang for the Occasional Practitioner or Bewildered Judge" by Richard I. Aaron: A law review article providing a lighthearted, yet informative, guide to the slang used by practitioners and judges in bankruptcy proceedings.