A bankruptcy trustee is someone appointed by the U.S. Trustee's Office to administer your bankruptcy on behalf of creditors. Usually an attorney or an accountant, he or she is not a judge, but someone who represents the best interests of creditors. For this reason the trustee is not on your side, does not look out for you, and as such, you should have an attorney as your own advocate.

What a trustee does depends upon the type of bankruptcy you are in. If it is a chapter 7, then he or she looks to see if there is anything that you own that can be sold to raise money to pay creditors. This is why a chapter 7 is called a liquidation bankruptcy, even though most chapter 7s by individuals do not result in assets being sold due to exemptions.

If you are in a chapter 13, the trustee is charged with making sure that your repayment plan meets the requirements of the bankruptcy code, and administers the plan itself, accepting payments from the debtor and then disbursing payments to creditors.

A trustee also conducts a meeting with the debtor about 30-45 days after the bankruptcy petition is filed to ask the debtor questions under oath about his or her financial situation and the content of the petition. Interacting with a bankruptcy trustee in the course of a bankruptcy is involved and should not be taken on lightly. Please feel free to contact me to discuss your case and whether bankruptcy is right for you.

The Law Office of Steven J. Richardson serves New Jersey, including:  Gloucester, Camden, Burlington, Salem, Cumberland and Atlantic Counties and surrounding New Jersey communities, including Woodbury, Colonial Manor, North Woodbury, Woodbury Heights, Deptford, Thorofare, Gloucester City, Washington Township, Blackwood, Brooklawn, Westville and Pitman.

Richardson Law Offices
40 Newton Avenue
Woodbury, NJ 08096
Phone: (856) 686-9910
Fax: (856) 686-9911