Local Rule 1002-1: Petition - General
Bankr. W.D. Va. — General rule
LOCAL RULE 1002-1 Petition - General A. Filing in Proper Division: A petition seeking relief under the Bankruptcy Code shall be filed in the divisional office in which the debtor's domicile, residence, principal place of business or principal assets were located for the greater part of the 180 days immediately preceding the filing of the petition, unless an extreme hardship would result or justifiable cause can be shown.
B. Representation by Counsel: Any entity, as defined in 11 U.S.C. §101(15), other than an individual, must be represented at all times by an attorney who is a member in good standing of the Bar of this Court.
C. Additional Requirements:
1. Original Signature: The original petition must include an unsworn declaration with the original signature of all debtors and the original signature of the debtor's attorney, if any.
2. Number of Debtors: More than one entity cannot be listed as the debtor, except that spouses may file a joint petition.
3. Additional Documents to be filed:
(a) a schedule of assets and liabilities on the approved bankruptcy form or a Chapter 13 statement, if applicable.
(b) if the debtor is a corporation, partnership, or limited liability company, a copy of the corporate resolution or other appropriate authorization, as specified in Local Rule 1074-1.
(c) if a Chapter 11 petition, a list of 20 largest unsecured creditors (pursuant to Bankruptcy Rule 1007(d)).
(d) a mailing matrix properly formatted and uploaded pursuant to Local Rule 1007-2.
D. Electronic Filing: Requirements applicable to petitions filed with the Court in electronic format are governed by Local Rule 5005-4 and the Administrative Procedures authorized by the "Order Adopting Case Management/Electronic Case Filing" in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Virginia, which may be modified from time to time and posted on the Court's Internet website.
COMMENT 1002-1(B) The amendment replaces "person" with "individual" to clarify that corporations (and similar entities) must be represented by counsel [change effective 4/06/23].