The word is out that Professor Jay Westbrook of the University of Texas is retiring. To call him a “giant” in the field is to understate his influence. All you had to say was SS&W, where he was the “W,” and everyone knew you were referring to the groundbreaking studies of consumer bankruptcy filers. His co-authored textbook has been a standard in the field. Professor Westbrook also was a chief architect of the UNCITRAL Model Law on Transnational Insolvency, which is the basis for chapter 15. I still refer to his article on executory contracts, which made pellucid the jumble of case law on the topic. Those are only a few examples of his leadership in the field. And, I would be remiss to forget to mention that he also is a former blogger here at Credit Slips.
A group of his friends is collecting quotations, memories, anecdotes, photos, and the like for two purposes:
1. to display during Texas Law’s 45th Annual Jay L. Westbrook Bankruptcy Conference (November 19-20, 2026); and
2. for a book they are creating to give Jay and his wife, Polly, on behalf of friends and colleagues.
They would greatly appreciate thoughts and contributions celebrating Jay and his achievements, your best wishes for him and Polly, as well as any photos or other memorabilia you want to share. They have created an email box for all contributions: ThankYouJay@utcle.org. Please specify whether your submissions are for the slides, the book, or both. They ask that you send your submissions by November 6.