Restructure This! Episode 14: The Intersection of Bankruptcy and Arbitration with Professor Robert M. Lawless

Sheppard Mullin's Restructure THIS! podcast explores the latest trends and controversies in chapter 11 bankruptcy, commercial insolvency and distressed investing. In this week's episode, Professor Robert Lawless of the University of Illinois College of Law joins us to discuss the intersection of bankruptcy and arbitration, including the enforceability of arbitration agreements in bankruptcy and the frameworks bankruptcy courts should use to determine when such an agreement is enforceable.

What We Discussed in This Episode

• What is the tension between the Federal Arbitration Act and the Bankruptcy Code?
• What framework should the courts use to determine when an arbitration agreement is enforceable in bankruptcy?
• Are there any actions that frequently arise in the bankruptcy context that should or should not be subject to arbitration?
• Is there value in arbitration in bankruptcy where there is no pre-dispute agreement in place? When should courts take that approach?

About Professor Robert M. Lawless

Professor Lawless is the Max L. Rowe Professor of Law and co-director of the Program on Law, Behavior and Social Science at the University of Illinois College of Law. He specializes in bankruptcy, consumer finance and business law.

Professor Lawless also co-authored the ninth edition of Secured Transactions: A Systems Approach, a leading textbook on secured transactions, as well as Empirical Methods in Law, a textbook on empirical methodologies. He administers and contributes to the blog Credit Slips, participates in the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, and serves as an associate editor for the Law & Society Review. Professor Lawless has testified before Congress, and his work has been featured in major media outlets such as C-SPAN, CNN, CNBC, NPR, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, ABC News and the Financial Times.

Contact Information

Professor Robert M. Lawless

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