Bankr. S.D. Fla. Local Rule 9010-2 — Authority to Act Personally or by an Attorney; Power of Attorney – Duties of Debtor’s Attorney

High confidence· verified September 26, 2026Local Rules

Summary

Bankr. S.D. Fla. Local Rule 9010-2 — Authority to Act Personally or by an Attorney; Power of Attorney – Duties of Debtor’s Attorney: the court's own rule, verbatim from Amended and Restated Local Rules of Practice and Procedure for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida (Effective June 1, 2026), official PDF, sha-custodied. Court-level requirement: applies in every case before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida alongside the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure and any judge-specific procedures.

Requirement

(a) In General. Unless granted leave to withdraw under Local Rule 9010-1(f), an attorney filing a petition – or later appearing – on behalf of a debtor in a bankruptcy case must: (1) advise the debtor of – and assist the debtor in complying with – the duties of a debtor under § 521; (2) meet and confer with the debtor before – and attend with the debtor – the initial debtor interview conducted by the United States trustee; (3) meet and confer with the debtor before – and attend with the debtor – the § 341 meeting of creditors; (4) meet and confer with the debtor before – and attend on the debtor’s behalf – all hearings in the debtor’s case in which the debtor has an interest; and (5) represent the debtor in negotiating – and appear on behalf of the debtor at any hearing to consider approval of – a reaffirmation agreement under § 524. (b) Exceptions. (1) Law Firm Partner, Member, or Associate. A partner, member, or regular associate in the firm of an attorney of record who is familiar with a debtor’s case – including the schedules and statement of financial affairs – may appear on the debtor’s behalf at a hearing, § 341 meeting of creditors, or initial debtor interview. (2) Appearance Counsel. Appearance counsel may represent a debtor at a hearing only if: (A) the debtor consents in advance of the hearing; (B) the debtor does not incur an additional expense for use of appearance counsel; (C) appearance counsel complies with all applicable rules regarding disclosure of any fee sharing arrangements; and (D) appearance counsel is familiar with the debtor’s case, including the schedules and statement of financial affairs.

Source of truth

(a) In General. Unless granted leave to withdraw under Local Rule 9010-1(f), an attorney filing a petition – or later appearing – on behalf of a debtor in a bankruptcy case must: (1) advise the debtor of – and assist the debtor in complying with – the duties of a debtor under § 5

Official source: Bankr. S.D. Fla. — Southern District of Florida (U.S. Bankruptcy Court)
Source health: Healthy · checked October 4, 2026
Effective date: June 1, 2026
Last verified: September 26, 2026benchpath-appfed-flrules-2026-09-26

Change history

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