Friday, July 2, 2010

Bankruptcy Meeting Locations in Massachusetts

All bankruptcies involve a court meeting. Where that meeting takes place depends on the place you live at the time your bankruptcy case is filed. It's sadly a little confusing, and people ask about it all the time, so I'll set it all out here as clearly as possible.

Chapter 7 cases, Boston:
If you live in Suffolk or Norfolk County, you will have your court meeting in Boston.
If you live in Essex County, but not in Andover, Boxboro, Bradford, Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen, or North Andover, then you will also have your meeting in Boston.
If you live in any of the following towns in Middlesex County you will also have your meeting in Boston: Arlington, Ashland, Belmont, Burlington, Cambridge, Everett, Framingham, Holliston, Lexington, Lincoln, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Natick, Newton, North Reading, Reading, Sherborn, Somerville, Stoneham, Wakefield, Waltham, Watertown, Wayland, Weston, Wilmington, Winchester and Woburn.
Chapter 7 cases, Brockton:
If you live in Plymouth, Bristol, Barnstable, Dukes, or Nantucket county, you will have your court meeting in Brockton.
Chapter 7 cases, Worcester:
If you live in Worcester county, you will have your court meeting in Worcester.
If you live in Andover, Boxboro, Bradford, Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen, or North Andover (in Essex county), you will have your court meeting in Worcester.
If you live in any town in Middlesex county except for those listed above, you also will have your court meeting in Worcester. This is the one that gets people because quite a few towns relatively close to Boston end up getting assigned to Worcester (Concord, just for example).
Chapter 13 cases:
Chapter 13 cases are just the same as Chapter 7 cases except that no one goes to Brockton. If you would be assigned to Brockton, you are just assigned to Boston.

That's all. There are other rules involving Springfield, Pittsfield, etc., but I have not idea what these are we do not practice in Western Mass.
The specific meeting locations in Boston, Brockton, and Worcester change from time to time. Current information about the bankruptcy court locations in Massachusetts can be found via a google search or by clicking on the link in this sentence (which goes to our main bankruptcy web site).