Now that you have filed for bankruptcy, the next thing you want to know is where you have to go to Court. The place where you attend court is called the proper venue. The venue is determined based on where you have lived for the previous 180 days. However, if you have moved in the last 180 days, the proper venue is where you lived for the majority of the last 180 days.
In Alabama, there are three Federal Districts which are further divided into divisions. For example, the three Federal Districts are Northern District, Middle District, and Southern District.
Northern District of Alabama has four Divisions
- The Northern Division of the Northern District has it’s main courthouse in Decatur. There are also satellite courthouses in Florence and Huntsville. The Northern Division consists of the following counties:
- Lauderdale
- Limestone
- Madison
- Jackson
- Colbert
- Lawrence
- Morgan
- Franklin
- Winston
- Cullman
- The Eastern Division of the Northern District has it’s main courthouse in Anniston and a satellite courthouse for bankruptcy in Gadsden. The Eastern Division consists of the following counties:
- Marshall
- DeKalb
- Etowah
- Cherokee
- St. Clair
- Calhoun
- Cleburne
- Talladega
- Clay
- The Western Division of the Northern District has it’s main courthouse for bankruptcy in Tuscaloosa. The Western Division consists of the following counties:
- Marion
- Winston
- Lamar
- Fayette
- Walker
- Pickens
- Tuscaloosa
- Greene
- Bibb
- Sumter
- The Southern Division of the Northern District has it’s main courthouse for bankruptcy in Birmingham. The counties in this division are:
- Blount
- Jefferson
- Shelby
The Middle District of Alabama has three Divisions.
- The Northern Division of the Middle District has it’s main courthouse in Montgomery. This division consists of the following counties:
- Autauga
- Barbour
- Bullock
- Butler
- Chilton
- Coosa
- Covington
- Crenshaw
- Elmore
- Lowndes
- Montgomery
- Pike
- The Eastern Division of the Middle District has it’s main courthouse in Opelika. The Eastern Division consists of the following counties:
- Chambers
- Lee
- Macon
- Randolph
- Russell
- Tallapoosa
- The Southern Division of the Middle District has it’s main courthouse in Dothan. The Southern Division consists of the following counties:
- Coffee
- Dale
- Geneva
- Henry
- Houston
The Southern District of Alabama has two Divisions.
- The Northern Division of the Southern District has it’s courthouse in Selma. When you file a bankruptcy in Selma, this is where you would go for your hearing normally. The Northern Division consists of the following counties:
- Hale
- Perry
- Marengo
- Dallas
- Wilcox
- The Southern Division of the Southern District has it’s main courthouse in Mobile. The Southern Division consists of the following counties:
- Choctaw
- Clarke
- Washington
- Monroe
- Conecuh
- Escambia
- Mobile
- Baldwin
With all of the Divisions and Districts involved, federal courts can be a bit confusing. However, when you call our bankruptcy attorneys for a free phone consultation, we can tell you where to file and where your hearing will be as well.
Attorney Steven A. Harris regularly blogs in the areas of family law, bankruptcy, probate, and real estate closings on this website. Mr. Harris tries to provide informative information to the public in easily digestible formats. Hopefully you enjoyed this article and feel free to supply feedback. We appreciate our readers & love to hear from you!