About Us
The trademark of the Norton seminars is the sponsorship of advanced level of discussion of current bankruptcy law issues in a relaxed atmosphere.
Norton Institutes on Bankruptcy Law, Inc. was founded by Hon. William L. Norton, Jr., the author of Norton Bankruptcy Law and Practice. Judge Norton was a Bankruptcy Judge in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia from 1971 to 1985. He first published Norton Bankruptcy Law and Practice in 1982 and has expanded that treatise to its current nine volumes in its third edition. Shortly after the publication of the Norton Bankruptcy Law and Practice, Norton Institutes was founded to conduct annual legal seminars nationwide. The first seminars consisted of the Pacific Bankruptcy Law Institute, San Francisco, California; the Western Mountains Bankruptcy Law Institute, Jackson Hole, Wyoming; the Northeast Bankruptcy Law Institute, Quebec, Canada; and the Corporate Counsel Bankruptcy Law Institute, Washington, DC.
The trademark of the Norton seminars is that they provide an advanced level of discussion of current bankruptcy law issues in a relaxed atmosphere. The faculty at each of the seminars are experienced, knowledgeable and entertaining Judges and practitioners in bankruptcy law, who are primarily drawn from the Contributing Editors to the Norton Bankruptcy Law and Practice.
The seminars are managed by William (Bill) L. Norton III, a member in the law firm of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLC, Nashville, Tennessee. Bill Norton is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt Law School and practices in the commercial finance area, focusing primarily on creditors’ rights and insolvency law. He is a business bankruptcy specialist, a fellow with the American College of Bankruptcy, and teaches bankruptcy law as an Adjunct Professor at Vanderbilt University School of Law. He is the current Editor in Chief for Norton Bankruptcy Law and Practice, Norton Journal of Bankruptcy Law and Practice, the Norton Annual Survey of Bankruptcy Law, the Norton Bankruptcy Law Adviser, and the Norton Dictionary of Bankruptcy Terms, and is the co-author of the Creditors Rights Handbook.
Norton Institutes conducted as many as six seminars a year at the following locations: San Francisco, CA; Jackson Hole, WY; Park City, Utah; Las Vegas, NV; Quebec, Canada; Washington, D.C.; Phoenix, AZ
Norton Institutes maintained its tradition of holding seminars in resort locations and expanded its offerings to cover broader topics in bankruptcy law. The institute’s seminars became a leading source of CLE credits, although competitors offering more accessible options began to emerge.
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically shifted the way legal education was conducted. Norton Institutes transitioned to hosting virtual seminars, adapting to the global health crisis by offering their established educational content through online platforms.
As restrictions lifted and demand for in-person events remained low due to travel and logistical challenges, Norton Institutes now blends its traditional high-quality content with virtual learning to ensure accessibility & convenience for legal professionals nationwide.