Yes and no. You will need to attend a “meeting of creditors.” The meeting of creditors is usually held as a telephone conference call or a web video conference. These conferences were previously held at a Federal courthouse. We typically have our clients come to our office for the meeting of creditors. For a more complicated case, an appearance before the Federal Bankruptcy Judge may be required. However, in that vast majority of cases, you will not ever appear before an actual judge.
The meeting of creditors is an opportunity for creditors to meet with you and ask you questions about your case. Creditors very rarely appear in Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 cases and the judge assigned to your case is prohibited from attending.
Instead it will be the Trustee, your attorney, and you. The trustee is the court appointed official you will ask you questions about your filing and determine whether everything is correct. By the time you appear before the trustee, you should be well aware as to what to expect.
