Jay L. Westbrook
- Benno C. Schmidt Chair of Business Law
- Professor

Jay Westbrook is one of the nation’s most distinguished scholars in the field of bankruptcy, leading scholarship in both empirical research and international/comparative studies. He teaches and writes in commercial law and international business litigation. Professor Westbrook also serves as a consultant to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. He is a member of the American Law Institute, the National Bankruptcy Conference, and the American College of Bankruptcy. He has twice been named the Outstanding Teacher at Texas Law and received the "Larry King Award" from the Commercial Law League.
Featured Work
Chapter 11 Under Duress
Bailiffs for Gunboats: Ukraine v. Russia
One of the nation's most distinguished scholars in the field of bankruptcy, he has been a pioneer in this area in two respects: empirical research and international/comparative studies. Professor Westbrook also teaches and writes in commercial law and international business litigation. He practiced in all these areas for more than a decade with Surrey & Morse (now part of Jones, Day) in Washington, D.C., where he was a partner, before joining the faculty in 1980. He is co-author of The Law of Debtors and Creditors (Aspen, 7th ed., 2014); As We Forgive Our Debtors: Bankruptcy and Consumer Credit in America (Oxford, 1989); The Fragile Middle Class (Yale, 2000); and A Global View of Business Insolvency Systems (Martinus Nijhoff 2010). He has been Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School and the University of London, and is a member of the American Law Institute, the National Bankruptcy Conference, and the American College of Bankruptcy. He serves as a consultant to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. He was the United States Reporter for the ALI's Transnational Insolvency Project and co-head of the United States delegation to the UN (UNCITRAL) conference that created the Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency. He is an emeritus director of the International Insolvency Institute and a director and former President of the International Academy of Commercial and Consumer Law. He has been the recipient of outstanding contribution awards from the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, the International Insolvency Institute, and the American College of Bankruptcy. He has twice been named the Outstanding Teacher at the University of Texas School of Law. Recipient of "Larry King Award" from the Commercial Law League.
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year-1988
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Article
Law, Models, and Real People: Choice of Chapter in Personal Bankruptcy
Jay L. Westbrook, Law, Models, and Real People: Choice of Chapter in Personal Bankruptcy, 13 Law & Social Inquiry 661 (1988) (with Teresa Sullivan & Elizabeth Warren).
year-1987
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Article
Chapter 11 Offers Safety Net for Texaco
Jay L. Westbrook, Chapter 11 Offers Safety Net for Texaco, Legal Times, Apr. 20, 1987, at 12. -
Book Chapter
Transnational Bankruptcy
Jay L. Westbrook, Transnational Bankruptcy, in The University of London Joint Energy Conference (London, 1987). -
Article
The Use of Empirical Data in Formulating Bankruptcy Policy
Jay L. Westbrook, The Use of Empirical Data in Formulating Bankruptcy Policy, 50 Law & Contemporary Problems 195 (1987) (with Teresa Sullivan & Elizabeth Warren). -
Book Chapter
Transnational Bankruptcy
Jay L. Westbrook, Transnational Bankruptcy, in The University of London Joint Energy Conference (London, 1987).
year-1986
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Article
Folklore and Facts: a Preliminary Report From the Consumer Bankruptcy Project
Jay L. Westbrook, Folklore and Facts: a Preliminary Report From the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, 60 American Bankruptcy Law Journal 292 (1986) (with Teresa Sullivan & Elizabeth Warren). -
Book Chapter
Basic Bankruptcy
Jay L. Westbrook, Basic Bankruptcy, in Tulane Bankruptcy Conference (New Orleans: Tulane University, 1986). -
Book Chapter
Recent Developments in Bankruptcy
Jay L. Westbrook, Recent Developments in Bankruptcy, in Advanced Consumer Bankruptcy Course (Austin: State Bar of Texas, Professional Development Program, 1986). -
Book Chapter
Recent Developments in Bankruptcy
Jay L. Westbrook, Recent Developments in Bankruptcy, in Advanced Consumer Bankruptcy Course (Austin: State Bar of Texas, Professional Development Program, 1986).
year-1985
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Article
Theories of Parent Company Liability and the Prospects for an International Settlement
Jay L. Westbrook, Theories of Parent Company Liability and the Prospects for an International Settlement [Symposium: The Bhopal Tragedy: Social and Legal Issues], 20 Texas International Law Journal 321 (1985).
year-1984
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Book Chapter
Bankruptcy Judges and Bankruptcy Lawyers
Jay L. Westbrook, Bankruptcy Judges and Bankruptcy Lawyers, in Proceedings of the 79th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, San Antonio, Texas, Aug. 27, 1984 (Washington, DC: The American Sociological Association). -
Article
Rejoinder: Limiting Access to Bankruptcy Discharge
Jay L. Westbrook, Rejoinder: Limiting Access to Bankruptcy Discharge, 1984 Wisconsin Law Review 1087 (with Teresa Sullivan & Elizabeth Warren). -
Article
Glitch: UCC 9-402(7) and the UCC Revision Process
Jay L. Westbrook, Glitch: UCC 9-402(7) and the UCC Revision Process, 52 Georgetown Law Journal 408 (1984). [Excerpt reprinted in Commercial Law Teaching Materials 123 (Speidel, Summers & White eds.; 4th ed. 1987).]
year-1983
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Book Chapter
American Consumer Bankruptcy Law
Jay L. Westbrook, American Consumer Bankruptcy Law, in Proceedings of the 78th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Detroit, Michigan, September 4, 1983 (Washington, DC: The American Sociological Association). -
Article
Flower's Approval Crucial for Braniff
Jay L. Westbrook, Flower's Approval Crucial for Braniff, Dallas Morning News, Feb. 13, 1983. -
Book
Consumer Choices in Bankruptcy: Statutory Intentions and Statutory Consequences
Jay L. Westbrook, Consumer Choices in Bankruptcy: Statutory Intentions and Statutory Consequences (National Science Foundation funded proposal SES-8310173, 1983) (with Teresa Sullivan & Elizabeth Warren). -
Article
The Coming Encounter: International Arbitration and Bankruptcy
Jay L. Westbrook, The Coming Encounter: International Arbitration and Bankruptcy, 67 Minnesota Law Review 595 (1983). -
Article
Limiting Access to the Bankruptcy Discharge: An Analysis of the Creditors' Data
Jay L. Westbrook, Limiting Access to the Bankruptcy Discharge: An Analysis of the Creditors' Data, 1983 Wisconsin Law Review 1091 (with Teresa Sullivan & Elizabeth Warren).
year-1980
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Book Review
Creditors' Rights in Bankruptcy, by Patrick A. Murphy
Jay L. Westbrook, Creditors' Rights in Bankruptcy, by Patrick A. Murphy, 43 Texas Bar Journal 715 (1980).