Filing Without an Attorney >> Legal Assistance Information

Legal Assistance Resources

Please see the Legal Assistance video by clicking here .

If you need help finding a bankruptcy attorney or you feel you cannot afford an attorney, please refer to The Florida Bar's website at: http://www.floridabar.org.

Jacksonville has a Bankruptcy Pro Se Assistance Clinic which is staffed by experienced bankruptcy attorney volunteers and offers free, on-site information and guidance to individuals who are representing themselves in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Click HERE for more information.

Orlando has a Bankruptcy Pro Se Assistance Clinic which is staffed by experienced bankruptcy attorney volunteers and offers free, on-site information and guidance to individuals who are representing themselves in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Click HERE for more information.

Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association volunteers are available to help you with your case free of charge. Click HERE for more information.

Please note: The Fort Myers Division does not have a staffed Bankruptcy Clerk's Office. The District Court's Clerk's Office at the Fort Myers Courthouse does not accept filings in bankruptcy cases. Bankruptcy petitions and other papers filed by parties without an attorney MUST be filed by hand delivery or by mail at the Clerk's Office in the Tampa Division, located at 801 N. Florida Avenue, 5th Floor, Tampa, Florida 33602.

Legal Assistance Program of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida

Application for Legal Assistance

The United States Bankruptcy Court has established a legal assistance program to enable low-income individual debtors (and in some instances their spouses and former spouses) and low-income individual creditors to receive free legal services in certain cases. The legal assistance program applies to the following types of contested matters and proceedings:

  • Adversary proceedings or motions relating to the debtor's entitlement to a discharge and/or the dischargeability of a debt, including motions for a hardship discharge under 11 U.S.C. § 1328(b) .
  • Contested matters concerning the debtor's claimed exemptions.
  • Representation of spouses and former spouses of debtors in connection with the dischargeability of obligations under marital settlement agreements and/or judgments for the dissolution of marriage.
  • Representation of an individual defendant in an action to recover money or property under 11 U.S.C. §§ 542, 544, or 547 - 550.
  • Bankruptcy Judges may also suggest appointment of pro bono counsel for pro se parties in other matters and proceedings if circumstances warrant.

Referrals to the legal assistance program are made at the request of the Bankruptcy Judge to whom the bankruptcy case has been assigned or at the written request of the individual debtor, the spouse/former-spouse of the debtor, or an individual creditor. Attorneys who have volunteered their services under this program are then contacted for assignment to the adversary proceeding or contested matter.

A party in need of legal assistance offered by this program should submit an application to the division of the Court in which the case is pending. The addresses are below.

An applicant is eligible for the appointment of an attorney only if the applicant's current income does not exceed 200 percent of the current year's U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Poverty Guidelines ("Guidelines") for the applicant's family size and the applicant does not have sufficient assets to pay for the needed representation. The determination is made by the judge to whom the case is assigned. The Guidelines are available on the uscourts.gov website and by clicking here.

You may use this form to submit an application for legal assistance: Legal Assistance Application Form. Please provide the bankruptcy case number and adversary proceeding number, if applicable, in the application.

For cases pending in the Fort Myers Division, send the application to:
Clerk of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court
Attention: Legal Assistance Program
Sam M. Gibbons United States Courthouse
801 North Florida Avenue, Fifth Floor
Tampa, Florida 33602

For cases pending in the Jacksonville Division, send the application to:
Clerk of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court
Attention: Legal Assistance Program
Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse
300 North Hogan Street, Suite 3-350
Jacksonville, Florida 32202

For cases pending in the Orlando Division, send the application to:
Clerk of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court
Attention: Legal Assistance Program
George C. Young Federal Courthouse
400 W. Washington Street, 6th Floor
Orlando, FL 32801

For cases pending in the Tampa Division, send the application to:
Clerk of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court
Attention: Legal Assistance Program
Sam M. Gibbons United States Courthouse
801 North Florida Avenue, Fifth Floor
Tampa, Florida 33602

DISCLAIMER: The links on this web page contain information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user's convenience. The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida 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 is not intended to reflect their importance or to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered, on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites.