Have you found Judge Randall Newsome’s bankruptcy research binder on the Northern District Bankruptcy Court’s website? This is an awesome compilation of leading cases on the total range of bankruptcy topics.
While it’s focused on the 9th Circuit, I suggest that new bankruptcy lawyers use it as a starting point for their personal bankruptcy law resource and add the cases in their circuits that address each relevant topic in Judge Newsome’s treasure.
When you’re new to this practice, it’s easy to keep cases and your work product in mind, available for recall. If you stay with bankruptcy law, that won’t always be the case. Give thought to establishing early in your practice a system for capturing and retrieving examples and authorities for reuse or a head start on the problem the next time it comes up.
How do you keep all of your research handy and in usable format?
Not as well as I’d like! I’m a fan of a little data base program called Info Select, which long ago had a far better search function than anything else going. It allowed me to snatch cases or ideas and put them on a virtual index card. I could create files or folders on topics, or just drop it into “Law to Remember”.
I have a Research file for topics, cases, and examples. Then I started Law-full as a personal repository of program materials, cases and notes.
It’s all there, somewhere. I’d love for someone to develop a better organizing device or principle.