For Researchers

4.9 million cases. Open methodology. Free access.

Our Data

We maintain a research database of 4.9 million federal bankruptcy cases from the FJC Integrated Database (2008-2024), covering all 94 federal judicial districts. Our data includes case outcomes, filing patterns, attorney-level performance metrics, and statutory compliance analysis.

The database is structured for research use -- clean, normalized, and queryable via SQL. We have invested thousands of hours in data cleaning, cross-referencing, and validation to ensure accuracy at the case level.

Published Methodology

Our screening methodology is published at 1328f.org/methodology and has been reviewed by faculty at UC Berkeley School of Law. We welcome replication, critique, and extension.

We believe that open methodology is as important as open data. If you find an error in our approach, we want to know about it.

Key Research Findings

391,951
Repeat filers identified
Debtors with multiple federal bankruptcy filings between 2008 and 2024.
264
Potential 1328(f) violations
Cases where prior filing history would trigger a statutory discharge bar that was not flagged.
27.4%
Prior-filer rate
Among high-volume attorneys, compared to the national baseline -- a significant deviation.
94
Districts analyzed
Significant cross-district variation in compliance patterns across all federal judicial districts.

Data Access

We share data freely with academic researchers. Our database is queried via SQL (SQLite). We can provide:

There are no fees, no licensing agreements, and no restrictions on publication. We ask only that you cite the Open Bankruptcy Project as a data source and share your findings with us when published.

Collaboration

We welcome:

Current collaborators and advisors include faculty from UC Berkeley School of Law.

Suggestion 26-BK-3

Our empirical findings led to Suggestion 26-BK-3, accepted by the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules on March 23, 2026. This is the first data-driven suggestion from a non-institutional filer to be accepted by the Rules Committee.

The suggestion addresses systemic gaps in Section 1328(f) discharge bar enforcement, supported by analysis of 4.9 million federal cases. It is listed on uscourts.gov as pending consideration by the Advisory Committee.

Get in Touch

Contact us to discuss data access, collaboration, or methodology questions.

Contact Us -- Research Inquiry