As in all legal proceedings, there are a lot of titles that can be confusing to the non-lawyer. It is important to know who the titles refer to so that you can understand who is involved in your chapter 7 bankruptcy. The debtor is the person who owes the money to various people and who typically wants to file the bankruptcy petition (most likely you). The debtor has an attorney who prepares the bankruptcy paperwork and appears with the debtor in court. The creditors are the people who the debtor owes money to (i.e. credit card companies, doctors’ offices, stores, banks, etc.). The trustee is appointed by the court to represent the creditors. The trustee’s job is to make sure that the creditors receive as much money as they are able to. The trustee is paid a percentage of what he or she can recover from the debtor. The bankruptcy administrator works for the court and his or her job is to make sure that the correct procedures are followed during the bankruptcy process. Lastly, the judge makes the final determinations on all disputed issues.
