The word “bankruptcy” comes with dark undertones: J.Crew announced it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week, for example, and was immediately the subject of instantaneous eulogies, ours included.

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the focus unsurprisingly has been on the exigent and obvious. No matter which industry you’re in, this pandemic threatens not only your life but your financial health. Though much has been written about industries in peril, far less has been written about industries—like law—that are poised to enjoy a Renaissance.

A growing number of companies will file for bankruptcies in 2020 as businesses remain shuttered due to the coronavirus.

Personal bankruptcies have been on the decline since the recession ended, but one reason people may not be filing for them is that the process is too expensive.

By filing for bankruptcy, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. pressed a giant “pause” button Tuesday on thousands of claims for as much as $30 billion in damages from Northern California wildfires. The claims will be rerouted from local courts to a federal bankruptcy court in San Francisco, where the victims will stand in line with other creditors, wait a year or longer, and, if the company’s plan is approved, probably wind up with less than they lost.

When a person files for bankruptcy, it’s a sad day. Although the bankruptcy code was enacted to give a “fresh start to the honest but unfortunate debtor” and a single point of contact for creditors (and to keep our economy going), admitting that your debts are out of control is difficult. So why would Congress make it harder for disabled veterans who need bankruptcy protection?

Lawyers and bankers revel in a system that can rack up $33,000 in fees for photocopying.

The most recent edition of The National Jurist has a feature giving law students tips for surviving the barrister’s ball. The annual law school tradition — law prom, for the uninitiated — is just around the corner, and it seems law students need some help. After all, it’s just like high school prom, except now everyone is of legal drinking age and they give you free booze. What could possibly go wrong?