NCBJ Announces Blackshear Fellowship Opportunities for 2013 Conference
June 12, 2013
The National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges is now accepting applications for its Honorable Cornelius Blackshear Presidential Fellowships for minority lawyers who practice bankruptcy law. Click on the link below for information about Judge Blackshear, the Fellowship criteria, the application form, and other information about the program: www.ncbj.org/Blackshear_Fellowship.aspx
Reappointment of The Honorable Michael G. Williamson, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Middle District of Florida
June 6, 2013
The current 14-year term of the office of The Honorable Michael G. Williamson is due to expire on February 28, 2014. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit is presently considering Judge Williamson's reappointment. Please read the linked notice for details on how members of the bar and the public can participate in the reappointment process. Comments must be received in the Circuit Executive's Office in Atlanta, Georgia no later than July 19, 2013.
Reappointment of The Honorable C. Ray Mullins, Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Northern District of Georgia
June 6, 2013
The current 14-year term of the office of The Honorable C. Ray Mullins is due to expire on February 28, 2014. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit is presently considering Judge Mullins' reappointment. Please read the linked notice for details on how members of the bar and the public can participate in the reappointment process. Comments must be received in the Circuit Executive's Office in Atlanta, Georgia no later than July 19, 2013.
New Chapter 13 Mortgage Modification Mediation program Begins 6/1/13
May 17, 2013
Minimum Qualifications:
•Chapter 13 debtors only
•Mediation limited to debtor’s primary residence
•Debtor must be able to contribute up to 31% of gross income to modified mortgage payment
•Debtor must pay a $385 mediation fee to the Chapter 13 Trustee before attending mediation
This Court has implemented a program to streamline the process of obtaining a mortgage modification where lenders are required to have a representative with full settlement authority available at the mediation.
Requirement regarding voluminous Motions for Summary Judgment - effective 11/1/12
April 17, 2013
If a Motion for Summary Judgment, together with any attachments (i.e., affidavits, exhibits, and depositions referenced), exceeds 100 pages, the moving party must supply a full courtesy copy to chambers upon filing the motion. The same rule applies to any responsive pleading filed.
Effective May 1, 2013, the bankruptcy courts will begin charging a new fee of $25 for each claim transferred. This fee was approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States at its September 2012 session. Click here for more information.
Another local rules revision cycle has been initiated and the first step in the process is the submittal of suggestions and recommended changes to the chair of the local rules committee, Bill Miller.
The opportunity for submittals is from March 18 through April 19 and can be accomplished by sending an e-mail with your suggestion(s), including any proposed language, to: billmillerlaw@gmail.com
Automatic Adjustment of Certain Dollar Amounts in the Bankruptcy Code and Official Bankruptcy Forms
March 14, 2013
On April 1, 2013, automatic adjustments to the dollar amounts stated in various provisions of the Bankruptcy Code and one provision in Title 28 of the United States Code will become effective and will apply to cases filed on or after April 1, 2013. Click here for details.
Click here to read about the new Pro Bono Initiative established by the Northern District of Florida Bankruptcy Bar Association and the Court in an effort to assist Florida lawyers with the goals set out in Rule 4-6.1 of the Rules Regulating the Florida Bar.
Bankruptcy Judgeship Opportunity District of Nevada - Las Vegas
March 7, 2013
The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit invites applications from highly qualified candidates for the position of Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Nevada. This position will be available on or after July 10, 2013. The selection process may take up to 10 months to complete. The official duty station for this position will be in Las Vegas, NV. Click here to view the announcement.
The Florida Bar Continuing Legal Education Committee and The Business Law Section present “Uninformed, Confused, and Confounded by Article 9? Update, Cultivate, and Clarify your Knowledge!” (Course No. 1545R). This intermediate level seminar qualifies for CLE credits. Details may be found in the Florida Bar announcement and registration form.
Two Bankruptcy Judge positions will become available in the District of Arizona in March and April 2014, upon the retirements of Judges Randolph J. Haines and George B. Nielsen, Jr., respectively. Please review the announcement for more information.
We wanted to let CM/ECF users know that Internet Explorer 9 is not certified to be used with CM/ECF. You will experience issues using IE9. Please continue using either IE7 or IE8.
Centralized Processing of Returned Bankruptcy Notice Center (BNC) Mail
September 11, 2012
Effective October 15, 2012, the Bankruptcy Noticing Center (BNC) will begin accepting, processing and securely disposing of notices that would otherwise be returned to the bankruptcy courts by the U.S. Postal Service. The service will significantly reduce national postage expenditures. Further information can be reviewed here.
Creditors may file an electronic Proof of Claim without logging into, or being required to have a login and password for CM/ECF by clicking here. You will be permitted to attach supporting documentation by selecting the radial button at the bottom of the screen.
Proposed Amendments Published for Public Comment - August 2012
August 20, 2012
The Judicial Conference Advisory Committees on Appellate, Bankruptcy, Criminal, and Evidence Rules have proposed amendments to their respective rules and forms, and requested that the proposals be circulated to the bench, bar, and public for comment. Click here for more information.
Judicial transition related changes to regularly scheduled court and telephonic (stay) hearing dates
June 19, 2012
Beginning in September, courtroom hearings in the Pensacola and Panama City divisions will be moved to Wednesday and Thursday respectively, from their prior Thursday and Friday schedule. In addition, all telephonic stay hearings will be moved to Tuesday afternoons. There are no changes to the regular video-conferencing or Tallahassee and Gainesville court schedules.
Therefore please make note of the remaining 2012 court dates (bold, italicized dates are the new dates) along with some minor adjustments due to holidays and/or conflicts:
Increase in PACER/Electronic Public Access Fee - Effective April 1, 2012
March 27, 2012
As directed by Congress, the Judicial Conference amended the Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule to increase the PACER Internet access fee from eight cents per page to ten cents per page and to raise the waiver from $10 to $15 in a quarterly billing cycle. The change is needed to continue to support and improve the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system, and to develop and implement the next generation of the Judiciary's Case Management/Electronic Case Filing system.
Please be advised that the Office of the Clerk has received error reports from users who have indicated that their third party vendor software case opening features are not compatible with CM/ECF Version 4.2. Software vendor representatives have indicated that they are aware of the issues and are working toward a solution. Please contact your software vendor's technical support personnel if you experience difficulty filing cases.
The Office of the Clerk has a limited number of bound copies of the Local Rules as revised effective December 1, 2011. To reserve your copy, CLICK HERE. Supplies are limited to one copy per firm.
The Administrative Procedures for Electronic Filing (Section II, B) requires attorneys filing electronically to serve pleadings electronically to registered participants of the ECF system. For parties who have opted out of electronic service or who are not registered participants, attorneys are required to serve the pleading in accordance with applicable rules. The pleading should include a Certificate of Service reflecting which parties have been served electronically or by other means.
Various links listed on this and other pages are maintained by other public and private organizations.
These links and pointers are provided for the user's convenience. The U. S. Bankruptcy Court does not
control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information; nor does it control or guarantee the on-going availability, maintenance, or security of these Internet sites. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to particular items in hypertext is not intended to endorse
any views expressed, or products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring
the sites.
