Bankruptcy Court Information For Orange County, CA

Information specific to your district

You'll need information specifically about your particular court's procedures.

Fortunately, the California Central District Bankruptcy Court offers information specifically designed for people filing without an attorney. Virtually all courts link to the generic national information mentioned above. The California Central District Bankruptcy Court offers specific guidance about local procedures.

General information about how to file

If you're new to the bankruptcy process, the website of the US Courts Adminstrative Office now offers a basic orentation page for those filing bankruptcy without an attorney. The information inlcudes a Bankruptcy Basics video in English Spanish and Creole. The half hour video is split into chapters so you can go back and review parts that went by too fast the first time.

Each court has its own rules about filing procedure, how to list creditor's names and addresses, and they tend to be fussy about it.

You must comply with the details of the process, such as filing dates, filing procedures, fees, and a myriad of other bureaucratic wonderfulness. Depending on how poorly they're written, your court's local rules probably won't make much sense to you. Don't worry. You may not be affected by most of the rules.

However, you will need to follow the rules about filing procedure and how to format the creditors' "mailing matrix" (a list of creditor's names and addresses).

Your court publishes plain-English instructions for those filing without a lawyer in the California Central District Bankruptcy Court . Use that first, rather than trying to read the actual rules.

Chapters 6 and 7 of How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy offer more information on what to look for in local rules and how to ask the court clerk for the information you need as you prepare your paperwork and fill in yourforms.