Frequently Asked Questions -- US Bankruptcy Court, NJ

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How do I get to the court?

A. The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey has three locations. The courthouses and clerk's offices are located in Camden, Newark and Trenton. Click on the following links for directions to each Courthouse.


                  Camden         Newark         Trenton

Please note that the First Meeting of Creditors (341[a] meeting) is conducted by a trustee and may be held at a location other than our courthouse. Please see below for more information on those locations.

Q2. How do I get to the First Meeting of Creditors (341a meeting) held at 1 AAA Drive, Suite 101, Robbinsville, NJ?

Click here for directions to the 341 First Meeting in Robbinsville

Q3. How do I get to the First Meeting of Creditors (341[a] Meeting) held at 800 Hudson Square, Suite 102, Camden, NJ?

Click here for directions to the 341 First Meeting in Camden

Q4. How do I get to the First Meeting of Creditors at 1423 Tilton Road, Suite 5, Northfield, NJ?

Click here for directions to the 341 First Meeting in Northfield

Q5. How do I get to the First Meeting of Creditors (341[a] Meeting) held at Valley Park Professional Center, 2517 Highway 35, Manasquan, NJ.?

Click here for directions to the 341 First Meeting in Manasquan

Q6. How do I get to the First Meeting of Creditors (341[a] Meeting) held at the National Conference Center at Ramada Inn, 379 Monmouth Street, 1st Floor, East Windsor, NJ?

Click here for directions to the 341 First Meeting in Windsor

Q7. How do I get to the "First Meeting of Creditors (341[a] meeting)" held at One Newark Center, Suite 1401, Newark, NJ?.

Click here for directions to the 341 First Meeting in Newark

Q8. How do I contact the court?

A. Please click here for telephone numbers for the staff and the address of each clerk's office. Please note that you may not reach a judge by telephone. If you have a question or comment for one of our judges, you may write to them at the address of the appropriate clerk's office.

Q9. Where do I go for hearings held in the Camden courthouse?

A. The Camden federal building is actually 2 courthouses. The clerk's office is located on the 2^nd floor of the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse Building, 401 Market Street, Camden, NJ. Our courtrooms and judge's chambers are located on the 4^th floor of the Mitchell H. Cohen Courthouse, 400 Cooper Street, Camden, NJ.

Q10. What papers are needed to file bankruptcy? Where can I get the papers? Should I provide copies?

A. To determine what papers are required when filing bankruptcy, please click here for a Schedule of Required Lists and Statements. All Official Bankruptcy Forms are available for download from our web site, as well as www.uscourts.gov.

If you are filing your petition conventionally, pursuant to Local Rule 5005-2, you must file an original and one copy of the petition, statement of financial affairs and schedules. If you would like a "filed" stamped copy returned to you, you must file an additional copy together with a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Only the original petition, statement of financial affairs and schedules are required to file electronically.

Q11. Where should I file my petition?

A. All documents relating to a bankruptcy case, including the petition, must be filed at the clerk's office located in the vicinage in which the debtor resides (if the debtor is an individual), or in which the debtor has its principal place of business.

For purposes of the division of business the Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey is divided by county into the following vicinages:

The Camden vicinage consists of Atlantic, part of Burlington (the townships of Cinnaminson, Delran, Edgewater Park, Evesham [Marlton], Maple Shade, Moorestown, Mt. Laurel, Palmyra, Riverside and Riverton), Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties.

The Newark vicinage consists of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Union counties.

The Trenton vicinage consists of part of Burlington (excluded are the townships of Cinnaminson, Delran, Edgewater Park, Evesham [Marlton], Maple Shade, Middlesex, Moorestown, Mt. Laurel, Palmyra, Riverside and Riverton), Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset and Warren counties.

Q12. In what ways can I pay my fees? May I pay my filing fee in cash?

A. No, all filing fees must be in the form of business or attorney check, money order or certified check. Attorneys may submit an application to pay fees via credit card. A Credit Card Authorization may be found on our web site by clicking here.

The court accepts cash for the payment of in-person copy requests and public printing fees ONLY. You must present exact change.

Q13. Do I need an attorney to file bankruptcy?

A. While it is possible to file a bankruptcy case pro se, that is, without the assistance of an attorney, it is extremely difficult to do so successfully. Hiring a competent attorney is highly recommended. If you are unable to afford an attorney, you may qualify for free legal advice or representation. For more information regarding these services, please click here for a Schedule of Legal Resources.

Q14. How can I find out information about an open case?

A. There are several ways to obtain case information:

Computer Access

PACER - Complete docket information and images of documents, (including basic information relative to archived cases) may be viewed and/or printed by using Pacer - Public Access to Court Electronic Records system. The cost is 7� per page. To utilize Pacer you must first register with the Pacer Service Center. For more information please contact the Pacer Service Center at the address and telephone number provided below.
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		Pacer Service Center
		P.O. Box 780549
		San Antonio, TX 78278-0549
		Telephone: (800) 676-6856
		Web site: www.pacer.psc.uscourts.gov
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COURTHOUSE ACCESS - Public terminals are available in the Clerk's Office in each vicinage. Viewing PACER information is free; the cost to print docket information or images is 7¢ per page.

Telephone Access:

Our Voice Case Information System allows callers to access limited information (i.e., debtor, case number, judge, date filed, chapter, attorney, trustee, whether there are assets, and case status - such as discharge date and closed date) about a case, free of charge 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from any touch tone telephone. The following are the VCIS phone numbers:

1-877-239-2547 (toll free) and 973-645-6044

In Person

Bankruptcy documents (in open or closed cases) may be viewed in person at the clerk's office where the case was filed, if the case has not been shipped to the National Archives. We now have computers available in the Records Section of each clerk's office for the public's use in viewing or printing imaged documents, docket sheets or forms. The fee for printing from our public terminals is 10� per page. Please see below for more information regarding the payment of fees. Actual case files may also be viewed unless they are being reviewed by a staff member at the time of the request. A valid picture identification card is needed to view a case file or docket. Some acceptable identification cards include a state driver's license or identification card, a U.S. passport, or a federal, state, county, or city employee card. Credit cards or car keys are not acceptable forms of identification.

Q15. I've tried to view/print a form on your site, but was unable to do so.

A. Many items found on our web site, including forms, are in PDF format. To view or print files in PDF format you must have Adobe's Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Please click here to download Acrobat Reader. Click here for step-by-step directions for dowloading and installing Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Q16. Sometimes it takes a long time to view or download a particular file on your web site. Why?

A. A few of the forms and files located on our web site are somewhat large and may take a minute or two to download at slower modem speeds. Your web browser may be blank while downloading the file, please be patient.

Q17.Can I save a file or form such as the Local Rules on my computer?

A. Yes. To save forms or files that are in PDF format follow the directions below.

1. When the file is open in Adobe Acrobat Reader, click the floppy disc icon on the toolbar - a "save as" dialog box will pop up on your screen.

2. Navigate to the folder you wish to store the file/form in. If you are unsure where to save it, click the down arrow in the "Save in" window. Click on "desktop" (which is near the top of the list).

3. Type the name of the file in the "Object Name" window. (You may name the file anything you wish).

4. Click "Save."

5. If you saved the item to your "desktop," there will be an icon on your desktop for the file/form you just saved. To access the file/form, double click the icon.