Course Content and Outcomes Guides (CCOG)

CCOG for PL 221 Winter 2025


Course Number:
PL 221
Course Title:
Bankruptcy Law
Credit Hours:
3
Lecture Hours:
30
Lecture/Lab Hours:
0
Lab Hours:
0

Course Description

Covers Bankruptcy Code, Rules of Procedure, types of bankruptcy relief, exempt and non-exempt property, dischargeability of debts, and bankruptcy forms. Prerequisites/concurrent: PL 101. Audit available.

Addendum to Course Description

Comprehensive introduction to the law and procedures of Bankruptcy. Provides to the legal assistant all the basic information necessary forhandling a consumer bankruptcy hearing.  An elective satisfying the requirements of either a Legal Assistant Certificate or an Associate of
Applied Science degree.

Note: PL 101 must be successfully completed (C or above) before or taken concurrent with this course.

Intended Outcomes for the course

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:

  • Prepare bankruptcy filings, including petitions, schedules and objections.
  • Recognize exempt property, dischargeable property, preferences and fraudulent conveyances.   
  • Use critical thinking to determine which chapter of the bankruptcy code is advisable for a particular client.
  • Compute assets, liabilities, exemptions, distributive shares of secured v. unsecured creditors and follow timelines for various filings.
  • Follow procedural requirements of Bankruptcy and Local Rules. 
  • Communicate technical bankruptcy intricacies in terms lay clients can understand.

Course Activities and Design

Lecture and reading of bankruptcy rules and codes are used to teach the theory and practice of bankruptcy.  Students analyze a typical bankruptcy fact situation and prepare bankruptcy schedules from the facts of this problem.

Outcome Assessment Strategies

Students' grades will be based on their mastery of the competencies listed below as demonstrated by their performance on midterm and final exams, a Problem Assignment - Preparation of a Bankruptcy, and their attendance/participation in class.

Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)

*    Prepare filings:  petition, schedules, objections, etc.
*    Recognize what exempt property, dischargeable property, preferences and fraudulent conveyances.   
*    Critical thinking determinations regarding which chapter of the bankruptcy code is advisable for a particular client 
*    Computation of assets, liabilities, exemptions, distributiveshares of secured v. unsecured creditors, timeliness for various filings.
*    Comprehension of procedural requirements of Bankruptcy and Local Rules. 
*    Communication regarding technical bankruptcy intricacies in terms lay clients can understand.