Proper Procedures: Pre-Petition Credit Counseling Certificate

Pre-Petition Credit Counseling is a requirement for individuals filing bankruptcy and must be obtained within 180 days before the filing of a voluntary petition. The certificate received from this counseling, known as the Pre-Petition Credit Counseling Certificate, may be filed using the doctype Certificate of Credit Counseling located in the "Other" category. The certificate must be filed separately and should not be included with any other document.

Proper Procedures: Debtor's Certification of Completion of Instructional Course Concerning Personal Financial Management (Official Form B23)

A course in personal financial management is required of individuals who have filed a voluntary petition under either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13. Official Form B23, titled “Debtor's Certification of Completion of Instructional Course Concerning Personal Financial Management” may be filed using the doctype Financial Management Course located in the “Other” category and must be filed separately and should not be included in any other document. If the course provider furnished a document attesting to the completion of the personal financial management instructional course, a copy of that document may be included in the PDF of the Form B23.

A Motion for an Order

Any request for an order from the court should be made in the form of a motion, see Fed. R. Bankr. P. Rule 9013 (“a request for an order...shall be by written motion”). Please keep this requirement in mind when filing stipulations or agreements of any kind. A request for approval of a stipulation or agreement should be made in the form of a motion. Also keep in mind that Local Bankruptcy Rule B-9013-1(c) requires a proposed form of order accompany any motion or application.

PACER vs ECF

To electronically file documents or to pay filing fees, please enter your ECF login and password issued by the court. If you do not have an ECF login, please contact Cathy Groleau at (866) 286-4090 or (574) 968-2255.

To review the court's docket or previously filed documents, please enter your PACER login and password issued by the PACER Service Center. PACER access fees of $.08 per page, as approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States, will be assessed. All inquiries will be charged to your PACER login account. The Client Code is provided to the PACER user as a means of tracking transactions by client. This code can be up to thirty two alphanumeric characters long. If you do not have a PACER login, you must register with the PACER Service Center online at http://www.pacer.gov. You may also register by calling (800) 676-6856 or (210) 301-6440.

Tips and Tricks: Save Time & Money - A Wealth of Information At Your Desktop

Bankruptcy information for the Northern District of Indiana is at your fingertips with just a click of your computer mouse. With a visit to the court's website at http://www.innb.uscourts.gov, you will find links on the homepage to the Local Rules, General Orders, Court Announcements, and past issues of the ECF Profiler. Explore the heading selections and find links to information on more topics. For example, the ECF tab will lead to the Attorney Application Guide: http://www.innb.uscourts.gov/cmecfappguides.htm. The Table of Contents incorporates various subjects to help guide you through filing from beginning to end, with print screens for clarity. The court's website is frequently updated as rules and procedures change. As always, our ECF help desk is available at (866) 248-2371 or (866) 286-4090. Next time you have a question, check out our website. You just may find what you are looking for, saving time and money. Suggestions are always welcome.

Tips and Tricks: TIP

Avoid using gel pens on signature pages. The gel pen signature does not show up when scanned.