While it is possible to file a bankruptcy case "pro se" (without an attorney), it can be difficult. Hiring a competent attorney is highly recommended because many bankruptcy issues can be very complicated and it can be difficult to prepare the required paperwork. In addition, debtors may keep certain types of property (known as exempt property), and there are many types of debts that are non-dischargeable (not wiped out in the bankruptcy). An attorney can advise debtors on these issues. The staff at the Bankruptcy Clerk's Office cannot give legal advice. If you have questions about filing for bankruptcy or preparing the bankruptcy paperwork, please seek the advice of counsel.

There is a fee to file a bankruptcy petition. It varies depending on which chapter of bankruptcy (chapter 7, 11, 12 or 13) you are filing. This fee cannot be waived, and a case can be dismissed for failure to pay it. The fee is due at the time the bankruptcy petition is filed. An individual debtor (but not a corporation or partnership) who is unable to pay the full fee at the time of filing must file an application to pay the fee in installment payments at the same time the petition is filed. This form is available from the Clerk's Office. If you choose this option, it is recommended that you pay a minimum of $50 at the time you bring your paperwork to the court, and the remainder of the fee in monthly installments within three months.

Created in 1978, the Bankruptcy Code contains the rules that provide for bankruptcy relief for businesses or individuals in financial difficulty. There are two options for bankruptcy relief: liquidation (Chapter 7) and reorganization (Chapters 11, 12 and 13). These options are best discussed with a qualified attorney. The Bankruptcy Code is available at law libraries. You may also access the Code via a link from our web site.

There is a glossary of bankruptcy terms on the Alaska Bankruptcy Court web site. You can look up words used in bankruptcy that are not familiar to you there.

Chapter 7: Often called the "liquidation chapter," Chapter 7 is used by individuals, partnerships, or corporations who have no hope for repairing their financial situation. In Chapter 7, the debtor's estate is liquidated under the rules of the Bankruptcy Code. Liquidation is the process through which the debtor's non-exempt property is sold for cash by a trustee and the cash is distributed to creditors.

Chapter 11: Often called the "reorganization chapter," Chapter 11 allows corporations, partnerships, and individuals to reorganize their debts, without having to liquidate all their assets. In a Chapter 11 case, the debtor presents a plan to creditors which, if accepted by the creditors and approved by the Court, will allow the debtor to reorganize personal, financial or business affairs and again become financially productive.

Chapter 13: An individual with regular income who is overcome by debts, but believes such debts can be repaid within a reasonable period of time, may file under Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code. Chapter 13 permits the debtor to file a plan in which the debtor agrees to pay a certain percentage of future income to the Bankruptcy Court for payment to creditors. If the Court approves the plan, the debtor will be under the Court's protection while repaying such debts.

The United States Congress has passed bankruptcy reform legislation which is awaiting the President's signature. This new bankruptcy legislation includes new income considerations when filing for bankruptcy, and will require debtors with income above a certain amount to file Chapter 13 instead of Chapter 7. The Clerk's Office is not allowed to give legal advice and can't tell you how this new legislation will affect you. If you have questions about this, you should contact a qualified bankruptcy attorney.

The filing of a bankruptcy petition automatically stays (stops) most actions, including collections, against the debtor or the debtor's property. It is called "automatic" because the stay begins automatically at the time the bankruptcy case is filed with the Clerk's Office. Once the stay is in place, creditors are prohibited from taking certain actions against a debtor.

It will help. After you file your petition with the court, the Clerk's Office will send a written notice of your bankruptcy filing to all of the creditors you listed on your creditor mailing matrix. Although this notice goes out within one to two days of filing, it may take up to a week or longer for creditors to receive this notice because of mail time. If a creditor calls after you have filed your petition, simply tell them you have filed for bankruptcy and that they will receive notice of this in the mail. If the creditor was not one listed on your mailing matrix, you should update your matrix with the Clerk's Office so that future notices about your bankruptcy can be sent to that creditor. It is important to make sure you list all your creditors on your matrix, because if a creditor doesn't get notice of your bankruptcy, his debt might not be discharged in your bankruptcy.

Once a creditor receives notice of your bankruptcy filing, they may not attempt collection of a debt from you unless they follow certain actions, such as obtaining relief from stay, allowed by the court. If a creditor continues to try to collect a debt from you after being notified of your bankruptcy, you should contact an attorney immediately for advice.

If hiring an attorney is not possible, you can purchase bankruptcy forms from most legal stationery stores and some bookstores. The forms may also be purchased from the Bankruptcy Clerk's Office for a minimal charge, or they may be downloaded and printed from the Bankruptcy Court Website. If you come to the Clerk's Office to buy the bankruptcy forms, please bring cash or a money order; personal checks are not accepted.

The court has divisional offices located in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Nome, and Ketchikan. You may file your bankruptcy petition at any of these listed locations. The business hours, street addresses and phone numbers for these court sites are listed elsewhere on this web site. You should check a location's business hours before trying to file your paperwork. You may also mail your completed paperwork to the Clerk's Office in Anchorage at 605 West 4th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska 99501, as long as you also mail payment for the required filing fee (by money order only, no personal checks).

To file an emergency petition with the Clerk after regular business hours, a pre-approved appointment must be arranged. Contact the Clerk at (907) 271-2655, ext 2660.

For attorneys who are participants in the CM/ECF system, a bankruptcy petition or other bankruptcy filings can be made electronically via the Internet at any time; the CM/ECF system is available 24 hours a day, with the exception of scheduled maintenance times.

Chapter 7: Original documents plus 1 complete set of copies (petition, schedules and statements, matrix & any attachments).

Chapter 13: Original documents plus 1 complete set of copies (petition, schedules and statements, matrix, plan & any attachments)

Chapter 11: Original + 3 complete copies (petition, all schedules and statements, matrix & attachments).

NOTE: Ch 11 Corporate debtors must have an attorney. An application to employ attorney should be filed with the petition. While individuals filing chapter 11 are not required to have an attorney, it is highly recommended that they do have one to assist them with their bankruptcy.

For all chapters: the matrix must be filed on a 3.5" floppy diskette. If you are unable to provide your list of creditors on a disk, your matrix must be typed on letter sized (8 1/2 by 11 inch) white paper in a single column down the page. Please see the local rules, available on our web site, for more specifics regarding the matrix.

If you would like to have a conformed (file stamped) copy of bankruptcy documents you file with the Clerk's Office, you must make one extra copy of these documents for yourself. The Clerk will file stamp the extra copies and return them to you. If you are mailing your documents to the Clerk's Office, you must provide a self addressed, stamped envelope with enough postage to cover return postage for these documents.

The Clerk's Office will notify all the creditors you have listed on your creditor matrix of your bankruptcy filing by mailing a written notice to them. For this reason, it is very important that you provide complete addresses, including city, state and zip code, for each creditor on your matrix.

If you feel a more immediate notice of your bankruptcy must be given to a particular creditor, it is your responsibility to determine what type of notice is appropriate and give that notice to the creditor.

A creditor matrix is a list of the names and current addresses of all creditors and other parties that should have notice of a bankruptcy. It is prepared by a debtor and must be filed at the same time the bankruptcy petition is filed. As a debtor, it is your responsibility to ensure you have listed current, valid addresses for your creditors. If mail sent by you or the Clerk's Office regarding your bankruptcy comes back as "undeliverable," it is your responsibility to try to find a good address for the creditor and notify the Clerk's Office of the good address. Additionally, if you obtain a different address for a creditor after you file your bankruptcy, you must notify the Clerk's Office in writing of the new address.

It is possible for creditors and other parties to add themselves to the matrix as well. Names may be added or changed when a creditor files a proof of claim in your bankruptcy case or files a notice of change of address. Attorneys who appear in your case on behalf of a creditor will also get added to the matrix.

The section 341 meeting, also called the meeting of creditors or creditor's meeting, is a meeting that a debtor is required to attend after filing bankruptcy. The meeting is conducted by the case trustee or the U.S. Trustee. The debtor must appear at this meeting and testify, under oath, about his financial condition, assets and debts. The debtor will be asked about the information he has placed on his bankruptcy paperwork. Creditors may also attend this meeting and question the debtor, although the meeting is directed by the trustee assigned to the case and most of the questions originate with him. If a debtor fails to attend the meeting, his bankruptcy case can be dismissed.

For debtors located in the Anchorage area, the creditor's meeting is held 20 to 40 days after the petition is filed. For debtors living outside Anchorage, the meeting is held 20 to 60 days after the petition is filed. After a bankruptcy petition is filed, the debtor will receive notice by mail of the date and time of the creditor's meeting, as well as notice of what items should be brought for review by the trustee at the meeting (such as proof of identification, bank statements, tax returns, etc.).

If you are unable to attend the creditor's meeting on the day it is scheduled, you must contact the U.S. Trustee's Office as soon as possible at (907) 271-2600 and request the matter be continued. If you are unable to travel to the town your meeting is being held in (for instance, traveling from Kodiak to Anchorage), you can make a written request to appear telephonically at your creditor's meeting. The U.S. Trustee's Office will determine if your circumstances warrant an appearance by telephone. If you are serving in the Military and will be out of state, it is often possible to give a power of attorney to your spouse, but you should check with the U.S. Trustee's Office.

The Bankruptcy Clerk's Office does not set the creditor's meetings, and cannot answer any question, including changes and telephonic requests, about the 341 Meeting of Creditors. All questions about this meeting must be directed to the U.S. Trustee's Office.

The Office of the United States Trustee is an Executive Branch agency that is part of the Department of Justice. It is responsible for monitoring the administration of bankruptcy cases and detecting bankruptcy fraud. It is also responsible for appointing panel trustees to administer chapter 7 and chapter 13 cases. The U. S. Trustee also provides support and oversight to debtors who have filed Chapter 11. The individuals appointed by the U.S. Trustee to serve as interim or standing trustees in bankruptcy cases are appointed on a rotating basis and come from a list that changes over time.

If you would like additional information regarding the trustee program or individual trustees, you should contact the Office of the U.S. Trustee at

605 West 4th Avenue, Suite 258
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
(907) 271-2600

Each case is different, but a general rule of thumb in a Chapter 7 case is that a debtor's discharge will be entered about 120 to 150 days after the case was filed. The entry of a discharge may take longer if a debtor's entitlement to the discharge is contested. In Chapter 11 cases, a discharge is obtained when the plan is confirmed and other Bankruptcy Code requirements have been satisfied. In Chapter 12 and 13 cases, a discharge is not entered until the plan has been completed. Chapter 12 and 13 plans generally last from 36 to 60 months (3 to 5 years).

A bankruptcy generally affects a debtor's credit report for 7 to 10 years. However, this depends entirely on the individual credit reporting agency. The Bankruptcy Court has no influence on the type of information the credit bureaus report, nor how long they keep it in their records. If you are interested in pulling a credit report for yourself, you should visit the website:
www.annualcreditreport.com.

Under a new federal law, you have the right to receive a free copy of your credit report once every 12 months from each of the three credit reporting agencies. Each agency's report on your credit may contain information from different creditors. To receive a free annual credit report, you can call or send a written request to:

Annual Credit Report Request Service
PO Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
1-877-322-8228

You can also contact the credit reporting agencies directly at:

Equifax - www.equifax.com / 1-800-685-1111
Experian - www.experian.com / 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion - www.transunion.com / 1-800-916-8800

A bankruptcy discharge will wipe out most debts, but doesn't affect liens which may exist against your property. Certain types of liens, such as judgment liens, may be set aside by the Bankruptcy Court under certain circumstances. In order to set aside a lien, you must file a "Motion to Avoid Lien" following proper court procedures, and serve notice of that motion on the creditor whose lien you are trying to set aside. Advice of counsel is recommended.

This court's web site has a link to the "Pro Se" handbook, which can provide more guidance to individuals who want to try to do their bankruptcy without an attorney's help. This document is in PDF format and may be downloaded or printed. You can get a copy of this useful handbook at: http://www.touchngo.com/lglcntr/usdc/bnkrptcy/akhndbk2.pdf

If you have been listed as a creditor in a bankruptcy case, you will receive a written notice in the mail from the Clerk's Office advising you that the case has been filed. This notice will also tell you whether or not you should file a claim in the bankruptcy case at that time, and the deadline for filing the claim if one is to be filed. The notice will also give you important deadlines for filing complaints to object to a debtor's discharge or dischargeability of certain debts.

In most Chapter 7 cases, the first notice you receive from the Clerk's Office will tell you not to file a claim. If the case trustee later finds that the chapter 7 case has assets, he will have the Clerk's Office send out a supplemental notice that sets a deadline for creditors to file claims, along with a proof of claim form. If you receive a notice that sets a deadline for filing claims, you should file a proof of claim with the Clerk's Office. The claim must be received by the Clerk's Office on or before the deadline indicated on the notice. If you are mailing your claim to the Clerk's Office, make sure you mail it well before the deadline so the Clerk's Office will receive it by the due date.

In Chapter 11, 12 and 13 cases, the first notice you receive from the Clerk's Office will contain a deadline for filing claims and will include a proof of claim form. If you want to share in the debtor's plan, you must file a proof of claim with the Clerk's Office by the deadline indicated on the notice. Your claim must be received by the Clerk's Office filed by the deadline (not mailed by that date).

If someone who owes you money has filed bankruptcy, but you have not received a written notice about the bankruptcy, you can submit to the Clerk's Office a written "Request to be Added to the Mailing Matrix." Include your mailing address in this request so that the Clerk's Office can add you to the matrix and send you future notices about the debtor's bankruptcy.

If you have been listed as a creditor in a bankruptcy case, you will receive a written notice from the Clerk's Office in the mail after the bankruptcy has been filed. The notice will tell you if there is a deadline for filing claims. If a deadline for filing claims is contained in the notice, you will also receive a proof of claim form.

If the original notice you receive from the Clerk's Office does not contain a deadline for filing proofs of claim (which is usually the case in Chapter 7 cases), you may receive a "Notice to File a Proof of Claim," along with a claim form, once the trustee determines that there are assets in the case. This notice will also have a deadline for filing claims on it.

If you are informed of a claim deadline, but do not receive a claim form to fill out, you may obtain one from the Clerk's Office or from the Court web site.

The claim form should be filled out completely and should include any attachments needed to support your claim. DO NOT SUBMIT ORIGINAL backup up documentation to support your claim; it will not be returned to you. The original claim must have your signature on it (not a stamp or copy), preferably in blue ink. You must return the original of your completed claim, with all attachments, to the Clerk's Office by the deadline for filing claims. This means the Clerk's Office must receive the claim form by that date, not that you mail it by that date. You must also send a complete copy of your claim to the case trustee and the debtor. Their addresses will be included in the notice you receive from the Clerk's Office.

If you wish to have a conformed copy of your claim returned to you, please bring an extra for yourself, or if you are mailing it, include an extra copy with a self addressed, stamped envelope with enough postage to cover return mailing costs. The Clerk will file stamp the extra copy and return it to you.

Requests for information regarding when a claim will be paid should be directed to the trustee assigned to the case, whose name and telephone number can be found on the notice of filing bankruptcy that you receive from the Clerk's Office or through VCIS (Voice Case Information System). The phone number for VCIS is (907) 271-2658, or toll free within Alaska at 1-888-878-3110.

Once a debtor files bankruptcy, creditors generally can't continue proceedings against him. 11 U.S.C. § 362(a). There are certain exceptions, however. In order for a party to continue a proceeding against the debtor that has been stayed because of the filing of bankruptcy, he must obtain an order granting relief from stay from the Bankruptcy Court.

In order to obtain relief from stay, the party must file a Motion for Relief from Stay, along with a Notice of Motion for Relief From Stay. The original motion and notice must be filed with the Bankruptcy Court, along with a filing fee (see fee schedule). [This fee will not be required if the moving party is a creditor seeking to collect child support, and the moving party has also filed Official Form B-281]. The motion and notice must also be served on the debtors and other creditors and parties in interest. A stipulation or agreement for relief from stay is treated the same as a motion for relief from stay, and must also be noticed.

The legal authority for obtaining relief from stay can be found in section 362 of the Bankruptcy Code [11 U.S.C. § 362(d)]. In addition, Alaska Local Bankruptcy Rule 4001-1 describes the procedure for filing and noticing a motion for relief from stay. Alaska Local Bankruptcy Forms 1, 2 and 3 are forms for a motion for relief from stay and notice of motion for relief from stay. Parties are required to use these local forms to the extent possible.

After a motion for relief from stay has been properly noticed and the deadline for objections has expired:

1. If no objections to the motion have been filed, the moving party must file a Certificate of No Objection (Alaska Local Bankruptcy Form 4) with the court, along with a proposed order granting the motion.

2. If an objection is filed, a hearing must be held before the order granting relief will be entered. The moving party should submit a calendar request (Alaska Local Bankruptcy Form 7) to the court to obtain a hearing date.

Refer to Alaska Local Bankruptcy Rule 4001-1 for further details regarding the procedure for obtaining relief from stay.

All forms needed to file a motion for relief from stay may be downloaded from this site.

"Ex-parte" simply means without notice. An ex parte matter is any motion or request for relief where the requestor wants the court to grant relief without giving notice to all interested parties. Ex parte relief is limited to requests for hearings on shortened time, or to other special circumstances where there is some justification for not having to give notice to all interested parties.

The Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure are available for review in any Clerk's Office location and at law libraries.

The Alaska Local Bankruptcy Rules are widely available. They are on our court's web site and also on the Alaska Legal Resources Center web site. The Alaska Local Bankruptcy Rules are also available for review in the Clerk's Office.

Alaska Local Bankruptcy Form 7 (LBF 7) must be filled out and submitted to the Clerk's Office. A copy of this form is available in the Clerks' Office or may be downloaded from this web site (under forms).

Attendance of hearings by telephone is a privilege which is generally permitted unless another party objects. Individuals wishing to appear at a hearing by telephone must notify the In-Court Clerk's Department at 271-2655, ext 2640 at least 3 days before the hearing to request telephonic attendance. When asking for a telephonic appearance, a party must provide the clerk with the case number, day and time of hearing, and a contact phone number where the party can be reached.

If you make arrangements to attend a Bankruptcy Court hearing by telephone, you must be available for that hearing at the phone number you provided to the clerk, at the time the hearing is scheduled. The court will not attempt to reach you for the hearing more than once, and will not tolerate being put "on hold." Telephonic attendance is a privilege and the court will not delay the proceedings if there is a problem reaching you at the time the hearing is scheduled.

You may do one of two things: file a Motion for Reconsideration, or file a Notice of Appeal. Both documents must be filed within 10 calendar days of the date that the order or judgment was entered. In a Notice of Appeal, the party filing the appeal, the appellant, wishes to reverse or change the order or judgment entered by the court. The Notice of Appeal along with the filing fee (see fee schedule) must be filed within 10 calendar days of the order or judgment being entered. Appeals are automatically referred to the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel, or BAP, unless the party filing the appeal also files an election to have the appeal be heard by the U.S. District Court. The appellant's election to U.S. District Court must be a separate document and must be filed at the same time the appeal is filed. If the party filing the appeal does not elect to have the appeal heard by the U.S. District Court, other parties to the appeal (the appellees) may do so, but there are time limitations on when this can be done. More information about appeals can be found in the BAP Litigant's Manual, found on our web site. Appeals can be lengthy and complicated procedures. Seeking the advice of an attorney is recommended.

The face page of the case docket contains the name of the trustee in all chapter 7, 12 and 13 cases. The U.S. Trustee serves as trustee in all chapter 11 cases, unless a trustee is specially appointed. This information is also shown on the face page of the case docket. You may obtain the trustee's name by visiting the Clerk's Office in person, or by telephoning the U.S. Trustee's office at 271-2600. You can also look up case information over the Internet through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system. If you do not have access to PACER, the trustee's name is also reported by VCIS (Voice Case Information System). The phone number for VCIS is (907) 271-2658, or toll free within Alaska at 1-888-878-3110.

If you have information about someone who may be committing fraud in a bankruptcy case, you should notify the Office of the United States Trustee. In order to expedite the handling of complaints for criminal violations in the bankruptcy system, the United States Trustee requires that your information about the fraud be submitted in a signed letter, bearing your return address and telephone number to:

Office of the United States Trustee
605 West 4th Avenue, Suite 258
Anchorage, AK 99501

Your letter should contain the following information:

1. The bankruptcy case name and file number, together with copies of any pertinent court filings.

2. A chronological summary of the matter.

3. A narrative of what occurred.

4. Names, addresses and telephone numbers (to the extent available) of the subjects and witnesses known to you.

Copies of any documentation you have to support your complaint of bankruptcy fraud should be included with your letter.

Upon receipt, your letter will be reviewed promptly. If the information it provides establishes a reasonable belief that a criminal violation has occurred, the matter will be referred to the United States Attorney. The United States Attorney will cause the matter to be investigated further by the appropriate law enforcement agency and then will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to prosecute the bankruptcy fraud.

The information contained in documents filed in bankruptcy cases are a matter of public record, and can be reviewed by members of the general public. The documents can be reviewed by members of the public in the Clerk's Office during regular business hours or, for attorneys and creditors who have access to PACER, over the Internet 24 hours a day.

Access to pleadings and papers filed in bankruptcy cases is not restricted unless there is some good basis for "sealing" information that is contained in them. To have a document filed "Under Seal" or "In Camera," a motion must be filed explaining the need to protect the information in that document from public view.

If you are a debtor, you should be aware that the filing of bankruptcy may affect your credit rating. Several reporting agencies report bankruptcy information and statistics to the public, and credit reporting agencies also regularly collect bankruptcy information.

Telephone Access: Basic information, such at the debtor or debtor's attorney's name, case number, or the name of the trustee is available on the telephone by calling the VCIS (Voice Case Information System) at (907) 271-2658 or 1-888-878-3110. This information is provided free of charge and is available 24 hours a day from any touchtone phone.

Computer Access: Electronic case summaries, docket information, and viewable copies of all pleadings filed since 2000, may be retrieved via the Internet through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records system (PACER). This system requires that you be a registered participant, and there is a fee for access ($0.08 per page, with a page being approximately 50 lines of text). This charge is limited to the first thirty pages of a document or report screen you are running, but is charged each time you open a new document. PACER is available by opening the browser on your computer and typing in the address: "https://ecf.akb.uscourts.gov". For PACER registration information, please call (800) 676-6856.

Also, Motznik Information Services in Anchorage has some bankruptcy case filing data available. For access and cost information, please contact Motznik directly at (907) 344-6254.

In Person: Documents may be viewed in person or retrieved for copying at the Clerk's Office. Cases which are one year old or older may be closed and archived at the Federal Records Center in Seattle, Washington. To determine if a case has been archived, contact the Clerk's Office. Records may be obtained directly from the Federal Records Center, but you will need to obtain certain archiving information from the Clerk's Office prior to requesting information from the National Records and Archive Administration (NARA), which oversees the Federal Records Center.

Copies of documents: Copies of court records and documents can be obtained in the Clerk's Office, or through the PACER system.

If a case has been archived, there may be some information that is still available through the Clerk's Office. You should first check to see what information is available there. If the Clerk's Office doesn't have the records you need, the Clerk will provide you with certain archive information, such as accession record retrieval numbers (PACER users may access this information through the ECF system, under the query search field, case summary information screen). With this access information, you may call the National Archive & Records Administration (NARA), Pacific Alaska Region, at (206) 336-5134 or fax them at (206) 336-5113 to request the information you need.

For written requests sent to NARA, there is a per document search fee, payable in either a U.S. Postal Service money order or a cashiers check from a bank. In your request to NARA you must be specific about which documents you would like copied, and you must include full contact information for yourself. Please contact the court or NARA for the fee amount.

Alternatively, you can ask the Clerk's Office to have the entire case file returned to Anchorage for you to review. There is a retrieval fee, please contact the clerks office for the correct amount. The file is sent to the Clerk's Office by NARA and it takes about four weeks for the file to arrive. The Clerk's Office will hold the retrieved case file for 30 days unless a longer period of time is requested. The file can only be reviewed in the Clerk's Office; it cannot be removed for copying or viewing at another location.

You may come to the Clerk's Office and request certified copies. There is a printing fee and a certification fee for each document to be certified. Alternatively, if you know the documents you are looking for, you can mail a request to the Clerk's Office. Your request must specifically identify the documents you want certified. Be sure to include the case name, case number, filing date and the title of the specific documents which you wish to have certified. In addition, please include your name, address and daytime contact number, so the Clerk can reach you if he has any questions about your request.

Also, if you request certified documents by mail, you must include payment for the Clerk's file research and certification with your request. The payment must be in the form of either a bank cashiers check or a U.S. Postal money order made payable to the United States Bankruptcy Court. The fees that apply when requesting a certified document by mail include: a per document research fee, a certification fee per document, and a per page photocopy fee. If you are unsure of what the total charge for certifying the document will be, leave the dollar amount of your check blank, and in the dollar line insert the words "Not to exceed Fifty Dollars." If you are able to come to the Clerk's Office to request a certified copy, the research fee will not be charged.

Attorneys admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the District of Alaska are also admitted to practice before the Bankruptcy Court. Contact the United States District Court at (907) 677-6100 for its admission policies.