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Filing Without an Attorney

If you do not have an attorney, and you are filing or involved in a bankruptcy case in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Kentucky, you may get information about the overall bankruptcy process and general filing requirements by viewing the contents of this website and/or from the Court's Guide to Filing Bankruptcy without an Attorney. While the information presented on this site is accurate as of the date of publication, it should not be cited or relied upon as legal authority. It is highly recommended that legal advice be obtained from a bankruptcy attorney or legal association. For filing requirements, please refer to the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11, United States Code), the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure (Bankruptcy Rules), the Local Rules for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Kentucky and at the U.S. Court's website.

Notice: The staff of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court Clerk's office are not permitted to assist with the preparation of the voluntary petition, schedules, or other documents, nor can they provide legal advice. Also, please be advised that the Court does not accept inquiries, document filing or other correspondence by email.  All inquiries must be made by phone during normal business hours or by written request by mail with a postage-paid envelope included.  Unless prior permission is received to file by fax or filer is a registered ECF user, all documents must be in paper format and sent by mail or presented in person at the Bankruptcy Clerk's Office in Louisville.

 

OTHER RESOURCES AVAILABLE

  • Before using the services of a petition preparer, please review the list maintained by this office of Bankruptcy Petition Preparers barred from preparing petitions for filing in this court. If you pay someone to assist you in preparing your bankruptcy documents, you must disclose this information by law on your petition, and the Court will hold a hearing to ensure that the preparer or service you used did not violate the Bankruptcy Code or other laws and rules regarding legal advice in assisting you. Bankruptcy Petition Preparers are not attorneys, are not allowed to give legal advice, and are essentially a transcription or typing service allowed to charge a relatively nominal fee. Their services are governed by Section 110 of the Bankruptcy Code. The Court does not endorse or license preparers; if you choose to hire a bankruptcy petition preparer, please beware of services and preparers who do not follow the rules regarding their allowed role. 
  • The American Bar Association maintains a list of bankruptcy attorneys who provide services pro bono (without charge).
  • The Legal Services Corporation provides low cost legal assistance to those who qualify.
  • For information concerning the eligibility for discharge based on the time period between case filings, view this chart. For all calculations of eligibility for discharge, please contact an attorney; the Clerk's Office staff cannot tell you whether you will be eligible for a discharge if you file a new case.
  • Debtor Electronic Bankruptcy Noticing (DeBN) is a free email delivery service of certain notices/orders for debtor(s). 
  • Information Regarding Bankruptcy Cases and Credit ReportsThe Court does not report information to credit reporting agencies and has no jurisdiction over these agencies. The Court cannot alter any information on a credit report or direct the credit reporting agency to do so. You must contact credit reporting agencies directly regarding these inquiries. 
  • To support suspected bankruprcy fraud, please visit the website of the U.S. Department of Justice