{"id":6495,"date":"2024-07-01T18:56:32","date_gmt":"2024-07-01T18:56:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/?p=6157"},"modified":"2025-03-31T10:46:14","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T14:46:14","slug":"wilmu-law-professor-talks-bankruptcy-college-admissions-and-rbg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/2024\/07\/01\/wilmu-law-professor-talks-bankruptcy-college-admissions-and-rbg\/","title":{"rendered":"WilmU Law Professor Talks Bankruptcy, College Admissions and RBG\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kadence-column6495_b140bc-51 > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);}.kadence-column6495_b140bc-51 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column6495_b140bc-51 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column6495_b140bc-51 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column6495_b140bc-51 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column6495_b140bc-51 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column6495_b140bc-51 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column6495_b140bc-51{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column6495_b140bc-51 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column6495_b140bc-51 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column6495_b140bc-51 dynamic-main-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<p>If you\u2019ve ever been to Tuscany, chances are you brought home treasured memories of the Italian countryside, and for <strong>Lawrence Ponoroff<\/strong>, a professor at Wilmington University School of Law, those memories include the late U.S. <strong>Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTuscany is kind of a magical place,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/law.wilmu.edu\/faculty\/lawrence-ponoroff.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Professor Ponoroff<\/a>, who was dean of Tulane University Law School when Justice Ginsburg taught in its summer abroad program.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe director of the program booked a private car and a driver to take the Ginsburgs and us (my wife and I) on a day trip all around Tuscany,\u201d he says. \u201cYou combine just the raw beauty of Tuscany with how special it is to spend an entire day like that so close to and intimate with a Supreme Court justice \u2014 it was just an unbelievable experience.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Professor Ponoroff\u2019s law experience spans more than four decades. A graduate of Stanford Law School, he has served as the dean of three law schools and written seven books, including \u201cA Short &amp; Happy Guide to Bankruptcy\u201d and the soon-to-be released sixth edition of his bankruptcy law casebook: \u201cBankruptcy: Dealing With Financial Failure for Individuals and Businesses.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As an expert in the field, Professor Ponoroff and a colleague filed a 2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/DocketPDF\/21\/21-908\/242052\/20220929110008370_No.%2021-908%20bsac%20Profs%20Ponoroff%20and%20Pardo.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">amici curiae brief<\/a> (Latin for \u201cfriends of the court\u201d) in a Supreme Court bankruptcy case about debt resulting from a partner\u2019s fraud.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The court ruled 9-0 that \u201cthe debt is not dischargeable,\u201d he says. \u201cWe work in the field day in and day out, the Supreme Court may see one or two bankruptcy cases every term. The litigants in the case, they have a dog in the hunt. We don\u2019t have a dog in the hunt. What is the correct interpretation of the law? That\u2019s our focus.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Teaching at Wilmington University School of Law&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When teaching at WilmU Law, he\u2019s focused on his students.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI have known Professor Ponoroff for years, and he has always been a master teacher. He has won teacher of the year awards at many law schools around the country. We are honored to have him teaching two classes for us this past year online from his home in New Orleans,\u201d says <strong>Phillip Closius<\/strong>, dean of Wilmington University School of Law. \u201cOne of our students noted that being in class with Professor Ponoroff \u2018is like being taught by an Oxford Don.\u2019\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Professor Ponoroff\u2019s expertise makes him a sought-after speaker on a myriad of legal topics. In April, he joined a panel discussion for the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers about \u201cthe impact of Students for Fair Admissions in law school.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Supreme Court\u2019s ruling in that case \u201cprecludes race-conscious decision-making for admissions, but that\u2019s it. It\u2019s a very narrow decision,\u201d Professor Ponoroff says. \u201cA student can receive credit in admissions by demonstrating that they have overcome racial discrimination or by demonstrating how they\u2019ve benefited from their racial heritage or culture. The court said that\u2019s fine as long as consideration is focused on the student\u2019s unique ability to contribute to the school and not solely on the basis of race.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result, \u201cdespite all the histrionics over the decision, I didn\u2019t think it was likely to change the status quo all that much, if at all,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd I hope that turns out to be an accurate prediction.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>WilmU Law students enjoy the pleasure of learning from Professor Ponoroff in Contracts I and Contracts II.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe hope Larry will remain associated with the Wilmington School of Law for many years,\u201d says Dean Closius.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kb-row-layout-wrap.wp-block-kadence-rowlayout.kb-row-layout-id6495_0a8b16-cb{margin-top:2em;}.kb-row-layout-id6495_0a8b16-cb > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:center;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id6495_0a8b16-cb > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:center;}.kb-row-layout-id6495_0a8b16-cb > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-none, 0rem );row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-none, 0rem );max-width:var( --global-content-width, 1290px );padding-left:var(--global-content-edge-padding);padding-right:var(--global-content-edge-padding);padding-top:0em;padding-right:0em;padding-bottom:0em;padding-left:0em;grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 2fr);}.kb-row-layout-id6495_0a8b16-cb{border-top:1px solid #eeeeee;border-bottom:1px solid #eeeeee;}.kb-row-layout-id6495_0a8b16-cb > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id6495_0a8b16-cb > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 2fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id6495_0a8b16-cb{border-top:1px solid #db1313;border-bottom:1px solid #eeeeee;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kb-row-layout-id6495_0a8b16-cb > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}.kb-row-layout-id6495_0a8b16-cb{border-top:1px solid #db1313;border-bottom:1px solid #eeeeee;}}.wu-text-col,.wu-img-col {\tmin-height: 114px;}.wu-text-col > div,.wu-img-col > div {\tflex: 1;}<\/style><div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id6495_0a8b16-cb alignnone FULL wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-2-columns kt-row-layout-right-golden kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-middle kb-theme-content-width\">\n<style>.kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col{display:flex;}.kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-none, 0rem );}.kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:center;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}.kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col{background-color:var(--global-palette9, #ffffff);}.kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column6495_753800-9c{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:center;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:flex-start;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column6495_753800-9c > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}}.kadence-column6495_753800-9c figure.image-is-svg {-webkit-margin-after: 1em;  margin-block-end: 1em;}img[src$=\".svg\"] {  max-width: 220px;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column6495_753800-9c kb-section-dir-horizontal wu-img-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image6495_75bea3-8e:not(.kb-image-is-ratio-size) .kb-img, .kb-image6495_75bea3-8e.kb-image-is-ratio-size{padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.kb-image6495_75bea3-8e .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image6495_75bea3-8e image-is-svg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"350\" height=\"180\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/wilmu-cta-logo-sol.svg\" alt=\"School of Law logo\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-13070\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column6495_620716-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col{display:flex;}.kadence-column6495_620716-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);}.kadence-column6495_620716-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column6495_620716-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;}.kadence-column6495_620716-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:stretch;}.kadence-column6495_620716-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .wp-block-kadence-advancedgallery{align-self:stretch;}.kadence-column6495_620716-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column6495_620716-c7{align-self:center;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column6495_620716-c7{align-self:auto;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column6495_620716-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column6495_620716-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col{background-color:#eeeeee;}.kadence-column6495_620716-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column6495_620716-c7{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column6495_620716-c7{align-self:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column6495_620716-c7{align-self:auto;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column6495_620716-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column6495_620716-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column6495_620716-c7{align-self:center;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column6495_620716-c7{align-self:auto;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column6495_620716-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column6495_620716-c7 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;}}.kt-row-column-wrap > .wp-block-kadence-column {align-self: stretch;}.kadence-column6495_620716-c7 > div {  padding-block: 1em;}.kadence-column6495_620716-c7 > div p:last-of-type {  -webkit-margin-after: 0;  margin-block-end: 0;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column6495_620716-c7 kb-section-dir-vertical wu-text-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<p style=\"font-size:1rem\"><a href=\"https:\/\/law.wilmu.edu\/index.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Wilmington University School of Law<\/em><\/a><em> offers a new approach to legal education, centered on the student and committed to breaking down barriers to the legal profession.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve ever been to Tuscany, chances are you brought home treasured memories of the Italian countryside, and for Lawrence Ponoroff, a professor at Wilmington&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":16061,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[237,14,39,15,384],"class_list":["post-6495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-wilmington-law","tag-wilmington-university","tag-wilmington-university-school-of-law","tag-wilmu","tag-wilmu-law"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":2,"label":"ACADEMIC NEWS"}],"post_tag":[{"value":237,"label":"Wilmington Law"},{"value":14,"label":"Wilmington University"},{"value":39,"label":"Wilmington University School of Law"},{"value":15,"label":"WilmU"},{"value":384,"label":"wilmu law"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/wilmington-university-professor-ponoroff-1-480x480.jpeg",480,480,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Mckayla Imperatrice","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/author\/mckayla\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":2,"name":"ACADEMIC NEWS","slug":"academic-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":559,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":460,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":2,"category_count":460,"category_description":"","cat_name":"ACADEMIC NEWS","category_nicename":"academic-news","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":237,"name":"Wilmington Law","slug":"wilmington-law","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":794,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":14,"name":"Wilmington University","slug":"wilmington-university","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":571,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":357,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":39,"name":"Wilmington University School of Law","slug":"wilmington-university-school-of-law","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":596,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":39,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":15,"name":"WilmU","slug":"wilmu","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":572,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":291,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":384,"name":"wilmu law","slug":"wilmu-law","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":941,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":13,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6495"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6495\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17846,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6495\/revisions\/17846"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16061"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}