Business Bankruptcy Basics: Episode 3: What’s in the Estate? Understanding Property in Bankruptcy

Business Bankruptcy Basics: Episode 3: What’s in the Estate? Understanding Property in Bankruptcy

From To the Extent That... by ABA Business Law Section

March 24, 2026 · 32 min

About this episode

The episode explores the concept of the bankruptcy estate with insights from Judge Elizabeth L. Gunn.

In this episode of the Business Bankruptcy Basics podcast, hosts Andrew Still and Miles Taylor sit down with Judge Elizabeth L. Gunn, the sole bankruptcy judge for the District of Columbia, to unpack one of the foundational concepts of bankruptcy law: the bankruptcy estate. Judge Gunn joins the conversation to share insights from the bench, her path into bankruptcy practice, and the nuances she has observed in how debtors and creditors approach the composition of the estate. Together, the group walks listeners through: • What the estate is and when it’s created, including how the estate differs across chapters and why timing matters, particularly between Chapter 7’s petition date snapshot and Chapter 11’s inclusion of postpetition acquisitions. • How “property” is defined under Section 541, with discussion of legal and equitable interests, examples from schedules, and real world illustrations ranging from intellectual property to cryptocurrency, livestock, and more. • Security interests and after acquired property, where the hosts and Judge Gunn explore how liens attach—or don’t—to postpetition proceeds, using accessible analogies like vehicle financing, insurance proceeds, and…

People in this episode

Hosts: Andrew Still, Miles Taylor

Guest: Judge Elizabeth L. Gunn

Topics covered

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: District of Columbia

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