Description of Program:

The direct beneficiaries of the program are low-income debtors who are involved in adversary proceedings related to the discharge and non-dischargeability of certain debts or are involved in contested matters involving homestead exemption limits under § 522 (o)-(q) of the Bankruptcy Code. The program also serves debtors' former spouses who are involved in dischargeability proceedings concerning domestic support obligations.

To be eligible for pro bono representation, a litigant cannot have sufficient assets to pay for a lawyer and cannot have income in excess of 200 percent of the current year's poverty guidelines for the litigant's family size. For example, a family of four may not have income in excess of $44,100 to qualify for a free lawyer.

Referrals to volunteer lawyers are made at the request of the bankruptcy judge presiding over the adversary proceeding or contested matter or upon a written application of the debtor or former spouse of a debtor. Lawyers sign up to volunteer to accept assignments under the program. The master list of volunteers is maintained by the Clerk of the Court.

The Court's goal is to have enough lawyers on the list so that each lawyer may be appointed to just one case every couple years. The program is modeled after one initiated by the Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, except that certain types of homestead exemption litigation were added by the bankruptcy judges in the Middle District of Florida.
Go to http://www.flmb.uscourts.gov for more information.