Robert M. Lawless | DEV-College of Law | Illinois

Illinois Law faculty, students, and alumni present at LSA meeting

Chris Davies — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 18:04:05 +0000

Law and Society Association Annual Meeting

The Law and Society Association Annual Meeting took place in Chicago, Illinois, on May 22–25, 2025, and featured a number of College of Law faculty and JSD students as presenters. Illinois Law professors presenting included Kenworthey Bilz, Bob Lawless, Jennifer Robbennolt, and Verity Winship; affiliated faculty presenting included Jose Atiles and Anna Marshall; and JSD students presenting included Thallyta Cavoli, Elsa Zawedde, and Qiaoyuan Zhi. Among others at the conference affiliated with Illinois were Vanessa Villanueva Collao, JSD ’24; Catherine Grosso, visiting assistant professor from 2005-’08; Dara Purvis, visiting assistant professor from 2010-’13; and So Young Park, JD ’21. The 2025 meeting explored questions central to control and compassion related to the human body, ranging from reproductive justice and LGBTQ equality to disability rights and the death penalty.

Changes to CFPB will affect the average person, Lawless tells News Bureau

Chris Davies — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 16:11:47 +0000

“It’ll just be a steady drip, drip, drip of companies trying to game the system and nickel and dime people via aggressive practices,” Professor Robert Lawless told the Illinois News Bureau about changes to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He noted that laws preventing actions like those taken by banks preceding the subprime mortgage crisis will still be in effect, but other protections are very much at risk. “Over the long run, it’s going to affect people. It’ll be the frog and the boiling pot of water. It’ll be a steady ratcheting up of unfair practices, and there will be no more cops left to police the beat,” he added.

Read his full interview with the Illinois News Bureau.

Lawless discusses dismissal of bankruptcy watchdog

Chris Davies — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 18:56:03 +0000

Tara Twomey’s tenure as executive director of the U.S. Trustee Program was recently terminated by the Trump administration, drawing criticism from Professor Robert Lawless. In a blog for Credit Slips, Lawless writes that “Under Twomey’s leadership the US Trustee Program did dozens of things that make the system work just a little bit better for the people who need it,” and Bloomberg quoted him as saying the move was “a short-sighted and likely illegal decision.” In a follow-up blog, Lawless also responded to criticism of Twomey and defended her qualifications to work at the Department of Justice.

Read Lawless’s original blog post and follow-up post.

Read Bloomberg’s coverage of the issue.

CBS quotes Lawless on when to file bankruptcy

Chris Davies — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:16:26 +0000

When struggling with debt, many people delay filing for bankruptcy as long as possible; however, delaying may be more harmful than many realize. “People misunderstand bankruptcy and wait too long to see a bankruptcy lawyer. Most people would benefit by going earlier,” Professor Robert Lawless told CBS in a new article about the timing of personal bankruptcy filings. Lawless also shares tips for those who may need to file and his opinion on how the system could be improved.

Lawless publishes new article on overindebtedness

Law News — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Research on overindebtedness and household incomes represents “low-hanging fruit,” according to Professor Robert Lawless. In a new article published in the Annual Review of Law and Social Science, he and his co-authors review current literature about who files bankruptcy, what causes bankruptcy, what happens in bankruptcy court, and what happens after cases conclude. They also propose a research agenda that will contribute to broader sociological and sociolegal research agendas in various fields.

Read the full article online.

Wall Street Journal quotes Lawless on policy issues to watch

Law News — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 20:15:00 +0000

Though the results of the November elections in the United States will represent a mandate for one group, there are several issues the Biden administration will likely seek to address in its last few months in the White House. The Wall Street Journal compiled a list of some of these policy priorities, including student-loan discharges. Professor Robert Lawless, an expert in bankruptcy issues, told the Journal changes made to student-loan discharges in bankruptcy are not supported by Republicans, who would likely rescind those changes immediately.

Read the full article here.

Lawless writes op-ed on venue shopping for Bloomberg

Law News — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 18:30:00 +0000

“For any court process to be seen as fair, people must see the judge as unbiased and believe the judge based the decision only on the evidence presented,” Professor Robert Lawless writes in an opinion article published by Bloomberg Law. Though this statement seems uncontroversial, the practice of “venue shopping” for bankruptcy proceedings undermines the credibility of the courts. Lawless writes that some bankruptcy judges have openly admitted wanting to attract large Chapter 11 cases, which makes their decisions seem less than legitimate, a problem that must be remedied.

Read his full op-ed online.

Lawless and Robbennolt: Purdue Pharma, Bankruptcy, and Procedural Justice

Law News — Fri, 17 May 2024 16:15:00 +0000

Professors Bob Lawless and Jennifer Robbennolt co-authored a blog post for Psychology Today, titled “Purdue Pharma, Bankruptcy, and Procedural Justice.” In the post, they discuss how the Sackler family sought a release in the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy case that would protect them from facing opioid lawsuits, despite not having declared bankruptcy themselves. Many claimants were opposed to a settlement plan and wanted to face the Sacklers in court. The authors argue that psychologists should explore concerns for procedural justice when tort cases are resolved through bankruptcy.

Read the full post.

Delaware Bankrupcty Court relies on scholarship from Lawless in opinion

Law News — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 18:45:00 +0000

In the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Judge Craig T. Goldblatt relied heavily upon the scholarship of Professor Robert Lawless in his opinion for Yellow Corporation’s Chapter 11 plan. Citing “Reframing Arbitration & Bankruptcy,” Judge Goldblatt ruled that Yellow Corp. must resolve issues in bankruptcy court rather than in arbitration. Speaking to the American Bankruptcy Institution about the decision, Lawless explained “Judge Goldblatt cut through the rhetoric and got it right.”

Read the Bankruptcy Court opinion online.
Read the American Bankruptcy Institute’s examination of the ruling.

Lawless quoted by ABC on financial penalties imposed upon former President Trump

Law News — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 20:15:00 +0000

Judge Arthur Engoron dealt a significant legal and financial blow to former President Donald Trump’s business empire, including a staggering $355 million fine and temporary removal of Trump and his sons from business leadership roles. Professor Robert Lawless, speaking to ABC News, explained what may happen to Trump and his businesses if his appeal fails to limit the fines imposed by Engoron, including limited access to capital, increased oversight, and the possibility of forced asset sales. Trump’s ongoing legal battles, including the recent civil suit payout to E. Jean Carroll, could exacerbate his financial difficulties, with bankruptcy offering little respite due to the non-dischargeable nature of legal fines.

Read the full article on the ABC News website.