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Filing of Papers by Non-Individuals

Corporations and partnerships generally may not file papers in a bankruptcy case pro se, and, with certain exceptions listed below, must be represented by an attorney. See Find an Attorney (Sometimes Available for Free).

But any creditor (including a corporation or a partnership through a non-attorney representative such as a member, officer, or employee) may file pro se any documents that would not constitute the practice of law, including the following documents (or an amended version of these documents):

  • a Request to Receive All Notices under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 2002(i);
  • a Proof of Claim (Official Form 410) (including an amended Proof of Claim), or a withdrawal of a Proof of Claim;
  • a Transfer of Claim (except if the transfer is only for purposes of giving collateral to the creditor's lender) (Director's Procedural Form 2100A); and Notice of Transfer of Claim (Director's Procedural Form 2100B);
  • an Application for Search of Bankruptcy Records (Director's Procedural Form 1320);
  • a Request to Recover Unclaimed Funds;
  • Reaffirmation Agreement and proposed order regarding that Agreement;
  • a ballot for voting on the election of a trustee in a Chapter 7 case (in some Chapter 7 cases, it may be possible for creditors to elect a permanent trustee to replace the interim trustee automatically appointed upon the filing of the Chapter 7 case; if no replacement trustee is elected, the interim trustee automatically becomes the permanent trustee; the election usually occurs at or before the Meeting of Creditors conducted in the Chapter 7 case -- see A Guide to Trustee Elections by Richard C. Friedman);
  • a ballot voting on a proposed plan in a Chapter 11 case (the plan proponent is responsible for mailing the ballot to the creditor to cast a vote; the typical ballot form can be found here);
  • an election under §1111(b) of the Bankruptcy Code (in some Chapter 11 cases, a secured creditor may be entitled to choose among different calculations of the amount of the debt to be repaid to it; this choice would allow a secured creditor to be paid the full amount of its claim regardless of the value of the collateral securing the claim, when it is available, is governed by §1111(b) of the Bankruptcy Code)