U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky is not a free standing tribunal. It is a unit of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Congress designed the arrangement in 28 U.S.C. § 151, which gathers the bankruptcy judges of a district into a body called the bankruptcy court. The district court holds the original jurisdiction. Under 28 U.S.C. § 1334, district courts have jurisdiction over cases under title 11 and over civil proceedings arising under, arising in, or related to a case under title 11. The district then hands those matters down by a standing order of reference authorized by 28 U.S.C. § 157(a). So the day to day work happens in one place, while ultimate authority stays with the district judges.

Three phrases in the jurisdiction statute do a lot of work. A proceeding arises under title 11 when the Code itself creates the claim, like a preference action. A proceeding arises in a case when it has no life outside the bankruptcy, such as a fight over plan administration. A proceeding is related to the case when its outcome could change what the estate pays or collects. The court's power is strongest in the first two categories and thinner in the third. That divide maps onto the core and non-core line that controls how far a bankruptcy judge may go.

Bankruptcy judges do not hold their seats for life. The court of appeals for the circuit appoints each one to a fourteen year term under 28 U.S.C. § 152. District judges, by contrast, sit under Article III with tenure during good behavior. That difference is not a formality. It sets the outer limit on what a bankruptcy judge may finally decide, a limit the Supreme Court has enforced more than once.

28 U.S.C. § 157(b) sorts proceedings into core and non-core. Core proceedings arise under title 11 or arise in a case under it. The statute lists examples in section 157(b)(2): administration of the estate, allowance or disallowance of claims, objections to discharge, preference recovery, and confirmation of plans. In a core matter the bankruptcy court may enter a final judgment, subject to appeal. Non-core matters are merely related to the case. There, unless the parties consent, the judge issues proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law, and the district court reviews them de novo under 28 U.S.C. § 157(c)(1).

The core label does not settle everything. In Stern v. Marshall, 564 U.S. 462 (2011), the Supreme Court held that a bankruptcy judge could not enter final judgment on a state law counterclaim even though the statute called it core, because Article III reserves that power for tenured judges. Later, in Wellness Int'l Network, Ltd. v. Sharif, 575 U.S. 665 (2015), the Court held that parties may consent to a final decision from a non tenured judge, and that consent may be implied by conduct. Lawyers who appear before the bankruptcy court read those cases together and decide early whether to consent, since that choice sets where the final word comes from.

The district court can take a matter back. Under 28 U.S.C. § 157(d) it may withdraw the reference for cause, and it must withdraw where resolving the dispute requires substantial consideration of both title 11 and other federal law. A creditor who wants a jury or an Article III judge sometimes files such a motion. The request is filed below but decided upstairs, and timing counts, because a late motion looks like forum shopping.

Jurisdiction also has limits that push cases out. Under 28 U.S.C. § 1334(c) the district court may abstain from a related proceeding, and in defined situations must abstain, so a state court can decide a state law question. Venue sits under 28 U.S.C. § 1408, generally where the debtor lives or keeps its principal place of business. These rules decide, at the threshold, whether a fight belongs here at all.

Appeals run along two tracks. A party may appeal to the district court under 28 U.S.C. § 158(a). Because the Sixth Circuit is one of five circuits that operate a bankruptcy appellate panel, a party may instead take the appeal to the Sixth Circuit BAP. Nationwide, bankruptcy appellate panel filings reached 329 in the twelve month period ending March 31, 2025. From either the district court or the panel, the next stop is the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. A party who prefers the district court may elect that route and keep the panel out of the case. Appeals from the bankruptcy court are worth planning for before trial, not after.

The Eastern District of Kentucky covers a wide stretch of the state, from the Appalachian counties in the east to the bluegrass region around Lexington and the northern counties near the Ohio River. Petitions come from consumers, small businesses, farmers, and large employers across that ground. The clerk's office, intake, docketing, and case management run on the same federal system used elsewhere in the district. Filing is electronic in the ordinary case, and counsel appear before the assigned judge on motions and at trial.

The judge does not run the system alone. The United States Trustee, part of the Department of Justice, oversees case administration, appoints panel trustees, reviews fee applications, and can move to dismiss a case for cause. In a chapter 7 or chapter 13, a private trustee administers the estate or the plan and collects for creditors. The court resolves disputes among these players without running the estate day to day. That split keeps the judge a neutral decider rather than a manager.

Knowing the structure helps a client match counsel to the matter. A consumer debtor's lawyer spends most hours in confirmation hearings and claim objections. A commercial litigator defending a clawback suit spends more time on discovery and dispositive motions. Both appear in the same bankruptcy court, yet their days look nothing alike. The chapters of the Bankruptcy Code drive much of that difference, and the next section walks through how each one plays out in practice.

Choosing Counsel for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky The bankruptcy court for this district operates as a unit of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky under statutory authority. Counsel practicing before this bankruptcy court must understand that its judges are appointed by the court of appeals for fourteen year terms rather than for life. The district court refers most bankruptcy cases and proceedings to the bankruptcy court automatically, so experienced attorneys know when withdrawal of that reference becomes appropriate. When a party seeks review, the district court hears appeals from final orders of the bankruptcy court, and skilled counsel preserves the record accordingly.

The Bankruptcy Code offers several doors, and the chapter a debtor picks shapes everything that follows. Nationwide, bankruptcy petitions reached 529,080 in the twelve month period ending March 31, 2025, up 13 percent, and 86 of the 90 bankruptcy courts reported higher filings than the year before. The bankruptcy court for the Eastern District of Kentucky handles the mix that drives those national numbers: consumer liquidations, wage earner repayment plans, business reorganizations, and the occasional family farm case. Each chapter carries its own eligibility rules, its own timeline, and its own kind of fight.

Chapter 7 is liquidation. An individual or a business files, a trustee takes control of the non exempt property, sells it, and pays creditors under the priority scheme of 11 U.S.C. § 726. Most consumer chapter 7 cases are no asset cases, which means nothing is left for general unsecured creditors after exemptions. The individual debtor wants a discharge under 11 U.S.C. § 727, which erases most prepetition debts. To qualify, an individual runs the means test of 11 U.S.C. § 707(b), comparing income to the Kentucky median. Where the numbers show abuse, the bankruptcy court can dismiss the case or convert it. Chapter 7 moves quickly. The meeting of creditors under 11 U.S.C. § 341 comes within weeks, and a discharge often follows a few months later.

Two decisions shape a consumer chapter 7. The debtor lists exemptions, which shield property from the trustee, and Kentucky lets a filer choose between the state exemptions and the federal set in 11 U.S.C. § 522. The debtor also decides what to do with secured debts on a car or a house, whether to reaffirm, redeem, or surrender. A reaffirmation agreement keeps the collateral and the personal liability, so it deserves hard thought before signing. The bankruptcy court reviews reaffirmations to guard against ones that leave a debtor worse off.

Chapter 13 fits individuals with regular income who want to keep property and catch up over time. The debtor proposes a plan to pay creditors from future earnings across three to five years, and the bankruptcy court confirms the plan under 11 U.S.C. § 1325 when it meets the statute. A homeowner behind on a mortgage uses this chapter to cure the arrears while staying current going forward. The standing trustee collects the monthly payment and distributes it. Debt limits apply under 11 U.S.C. § 109(e). A car loan taken within a set window before filing cannot be crammed down, under the hanging paragraph that follows section 1325(a). A debtor who finishes the plan earns a discharge under 11 U.S.C. § 1328. Confirmation fights are routine, with the trustee and secured creditors pressing on value, the interest rate, feasibility, and good faith.

Chapter 11 is reorganization, used by companies and by some individuals with large debts. The debtor usually keeps running the business as a debtor in possession, holding most of a trustee's powers under 11 U.S.C. § 1107. The goal is a plan confirmed under 11 U.S.C. § 1129, which may restructure debt, sell assets, hand ownership to creditors, or blend those moves. Chapter 11 is document heavy and costly. A small business can elect subchapter V, added by the Small Business Reorganization Act, which trims the process and some of the expense. The bankruptcy court manages these cases closely, from first day motions on cash collateral and payroll through the disclosure statement and confirmation. Creditors often organize through a committee appointed by the United States Trustee.

Confirmation in chapter 11 turns on tests a client should understand before filing. A dissenting class can be crammed down under 11 U.S.C. § 1129(b) if the plan is fair and equitable. The absolute priority rule blocks equity from keeping value while senior creditors go unpaid. Subchapter V loosens that rule for the small business debtor, one reason so many smaller companies choose it. The court weighs feasibility, good faith, and the best interest of creditors before it signs an order.

Chapter 12 is narrow and specific. It serves family farmers and family fishermen with regular annual income, as defined in 11 U.S.C. § 101. It works like chapter 13 but with terms built for agriculture, including higher debt ceilings and room for seasonal cash flow. Across the many farming counties in the Eastern District of Kentucky, this chapter gives a grower a way to keep the land and restructure debt over several years. The bankruptcy court confirms a chapter 12 plan under 11 U.S.C. § 1225. These cases are fewer than the consumer chapters, and each one carries heavy stakes for the family behind it.

Picking the chapter is both a legal and a practical call. Income, the value of assets, the type of debt, and the client's goal all feed the decision. A debtor who files under one chapter may convert to another under 11 U.S.C. § 706 or 11 U.S.C. § 1307, subject to good faith. Counsel weigh the means test, exemption planning under Kentucky law and the federal scheme, and the treatment of secured claims before the petition is ever signed. A misstep at intake can cost a discharge months later, when it is far harder to fix.

Creditors live these chapters from the other side. A secured lender wants adequate protection and prompt payment. An unsecured supplier wants a distribution and frets about being sued to return an old payment. A landlord wants a fast decision on its lease. Each files claims and appears in the bankruptcy court to protect its stake. Once a case opens, the real disputes start, and many take the shape of litigation inside the bankruptcy itself. That litigation is where the next section goes.

Litigation inside a bankruptcy takes two shapes. An adversary proceeding is a full lawsuit filed within the case, governed by Part VII of the rules, Fed. R. Bankr. P. 7001 through 7087, which pull in much of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. A contested matter is a dispute raised by motion under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9014. The bankruptcy court decides both, but the road differs. Rule 7001 lists the disputes that must run as adversary proceedings, among them recovering money or property, determining the validity or priority of a lien, objecting to a discharge, and seeking an injunction.

Most disputes in a case are contested matters rather than full lawsuits. A motion for relief from stay, an objection to a claim under 11 U.S.C. § 502, a motion to value collateral, and a plan objection all travel this way. Rule 9014 borrows some of the adversary rules but skips the summons and complaint, so a contested matter can move faster and cost less. The bankruptcy court still takes evidence, and a contested hearing can look much like a trial when the stakes justify it.

An adversary proceeding opens with a complaint and a summons, the same as a district court suit. The defendant answers, the parties take discovery under the civil rules, and the court may hold a trial. Bankruptcy judges cannot conduct a jury trial without the parties' consent, so a jury demand can push a case toward the district court. Many adversary proceedings settle, because the dollars often do not justify a full trial. When one reaches judgment, the core or non-core question from the first section returns, since it controls whether the judge enters a final order or proposes findings for the district court.

The automatic stay is the first thing that happens when a petition hits the docket. Under 11 U.S.C. § 362(a) the stay halts collection, foreclosure, repossession, and most lawsuits against the debtor the instant the case begins. It gives the debtor breathing room and freezes the estate in place. A creditor who wants to proceed files a motion for relief from stay under 11 U.S.C. § 362(d), and the bankruptcy court decides whether cause exists, often a lack of adequate protection or no equity in property the debtor does not need. The statute puts a clock on it. The stay ends as to the movant if the bankruptcy court does not act within thirty days, unless it orders the stay continued. Breaking the stay carries exposure under 11 U.S.C. § 362(k), including damages.

Preferences let a trustee claw back certain prepetition payments. Under 11 U.S.C. § 547 the trustee may avoid a transfer to a creditor on account of an earlier debt, made within ninety days before filing, while the debtor was insolvent, that let the creditor take more than it would in a chapter 7. The ninety day window stretches to one year for insiders. The aim is equal treatment among creditors. A supplier served with a preference complaint has answers under 11 U.S.C. § 547(c): the ordinary course of business defense, the contemporaneous exchange defense, the new value defense, and others. Preference suits fill a large slice of the bankruptcy court's adversary docket.

Fraudulent transfers reach further back. Under 11 U.S.C. § 548 the trustee may avoid a transfer made within two years of filing that was either meant to hinder or defraud creditors, or made for less than reasonably equivalent value while the debtor was insolvent. The trustee can also borrow state fraudulent transfer law through 11 U.S.C. § 544, which often reaches back further than two years. These suits surface when a debtor moved assets before filing, whether to a relative, a related company, a favored lender, or a new entity set up to hold the property. Actual intent turns on badges of fraud. The reasonably equivalent value theory turns on what the property was really worth.

Timing controls both kinds of avoidance action. Under 11 U.S.C. § 546 the trustee generally must bring the suit within two years of the order for relief, and a defendant should check that clock first. A defendant should also weigh whether the transfer even qualifies, since a fully secured payment or a true contemporaneous exchange may fall outside the statute. These are winnable cases when the defense is built early rather than on the eve of trial.

Debtors and creditors move the court in different ways. A debtor files to use cash collateral, to assume or reject leases and contracts under 11 U.S.C. § 365, to value collateral under 11 U.S.C. § 506, and to confirm a plan. A creditor files proofs of claim, objects to plans, seeks stay relief, and defends or brings avoidance actions. Claim objections proceed as contested matters unless the relief sought pushes them into an adversary proceeding under Rule 7001. The bankruptcy court sets deadlines that punish delay, so a creditor who sleeps through the claim bar date can lose its distribution. Local practice and each judge's preferences shape how motions get scheduled and heard.

Some of the hardest fights concern the discharge itself. A creditor may file an adversary proceeding to have a specific debt declared nondischargeable under 11 U.S.C. § 523, for fraud, for a willful and malicious injury, for certain taxes, or for support obligations. A trustee or creditor may object to the whole discharge under 11 U.S.C. § 727 where the debtor concealed assets or lied under oath. These actions carry short deadlines fixed by the rules, and a missed date usually ends the claim for good. Because the bankruptcy court runs on those deadlines and on a body of law most general practitioners rarely touch, the choice of counsel who knows this court and its judges affects both the cost and the outcome. A local practitioner knows which judge wants a brief and which wants argument, how the trustees in the district approach settlement, and where the pressure points sit in a plan. That knowledge does not show up in a statute.

A ruling from this bankruptcy court is rarely the last word. When a party disagrees with a final order, the first appeal usually travels to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, the same district that houses the bankruptcy unit. The right comes from 28 U.S.C. § 158(a), which gives the district court jurisdiction over appeals from final judgments and other orders. Some interlocutory orders can be appealed as well, though only with the court's leave. The clock is the problem for most litigants. Under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 8002, a notice of appeal is generally due within fourteen days of entry, far shorter than the periods civil lawyers expect.

Litigants in the Sixth Circuit have a second option. The circuit runs a bankruptcy appellate panel, one of only five in the country, and it can hear appeals directly from the bankruptcy court. For the twelve months ending March 31, 2025, the bankruptcy appellate panels nationwide took in 329 filings, a small figure next to the 529,080 bankruptcy petitions filed in the same period. The panel sits with three bankruptcy judges drawn from within the circuit but from outside the district where the case arose. A party may elect the district court instead, and a timely election sends the appeal to the district judge.

Choosing between the two forums is a tactical decision, not a formality. The panel gives you judges who read bankruptcy law every week, and its written opinions can carry weight with practitioners across the circuit. The district court gives you an Article III judge who may view the dispute through a wider civil lens and whose ruling some litigants prefer for the next stage. Either path leads to the same place if the loser presses on. From the district court or the panel, a further appeal goes to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and from there review is by petition to the Supreme Court.

An appeal is decided on the record made below. The reviewing court will not take new evidence, so the trial below is where the case is won or lost. Designating the record and stating the issues under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 8009 is a step lawyers sometimes rush, and a thin designation can leave the court without the transcript it needs. Briefing follows a set schedule. Oral argument is not guaranteed, and in many appeals the panel or the district judge decides on the papers.

Standards of review shape whether an appeal is worth the cost. The reviewing court examines the bankruptcy court's legal conclusions without deference and reviews its findings of fact for clear error. That division traces to Fed. R. Bankr. P. 7052, which pulls Fed. R. Civ. P. 52(a) into contested matters, so a factual finding made after a trial rarely gets disturbed. Mixed questions fall between the two. A discretionary call, such as whether to grant relief from the stay, is reviewed for abuse of discretion, and that is a hard standard to meet.

Finality works differently in bankruptcy than in ordinary civil litigation. A single case can produce many separately appealable orders, because the bankruptcy court resolves discrete disputes, a stay motion, a claim objection, a sale of property, or a fee dispute, while the main case grinds on. The Supreme Court addressed this in Bullard v. Blue Hills Bank, 575 U.S. 496 (2015), holding that an order denying confirmation of a plan is not final when the debtor remains free to propose another. Read that case before you assume a loss can be appealed at once. Filing too early wastes money. Filing too late forfeits the right.

An appeal does not stop the bankruptcy court's order from taking effect. Absent a stay pending appeal under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 8007, a sale or a confirmed plan can be carried out while the appeal is briefed, and the doctrine of equitable mootness may then bar relief even if the appellant was right. This bites hardest in asset sales. Section 363(m) of the code protects a good-faith purchaser, so a party who fails to obtain a stay may find the appeal is worth nothing. Counsel who practice here plan for that risk before the order is entered.

Bankruptcy rarely stands alone. Most debtors arrive with lawsuits, collection actions, foreclosures, or wage garnishments already pending in state court, and the filing changes all of them at once. The automatic stay of 11 U.S.C. § 362 halts those proceedings the moment the petition is filed, without any order and without notice to the state judge. A creditor who continues a garnishment or pushes a foreclosure sale after the petition can be held in contempt and made to pay damages. The stay is the strongest tool the code hands a debtor. Its reach is wide but not unlimited.

The traffic runs both ways. A creditor who wants to proceed in state court, perhaps to fix the amount of a disputed claim or to pursue a co-defendant, can ask for relief from the stay under 11 U.S.C. § 362(d). Judges here often lift the stay to let a pending personal injury or contract case reach judgment in the state forum, then bring the liquidated claim back for payment through the plan. A defendant can also remove a state-court claim to federal court under 28 U.S.C. § 1452, and the court can remand it on equitable grounds. Which route serves the client depends on the facts and the judge.

Some questions must stay in this court no matter what is pending elsewhere. Discharge, the validity of liens, the treatment of a claim under a plan, and the scope of the stay itself belong to the federal forum, and a state judgment obtained in violation of the stay is generally void. Coordinating the two dockets is ordinary work for counsel who handle these cases. A lawyer who ignores a pending state action can lose leverage, miss a setoff, let a deadline run, or waive a defense in the other forum while attending to the petition.

Because appeals turn on early choices, many clients look for counsel before the first adverse order, not after. This directory lists firms that handle bankruptcy court matters in the district, and it orders results by plan tier while labeling that ordering plainly, so a higher spot reflects a paid plan and not a ranking of quality. Read profiles for real appellate experience in the district court and the Sixth Circuit panel, not trial work alone. A firm that has briefed a bankruptcy appeal knows the fourteen-day trap and the record rules that decide many of these cases.

Selecting counsel familiar with the bankruptcy court for the Eastern District of Kentucky matters because final orders may be appealed to the district court within fourteen days under Rule 8002. Litigants in this bankruptcy court should understand that Kentucky falls within the Sixth Circuit, which has not established a bankruptcy appellate panel, so appeals proceed to the district court. Experienced counsel can advise whether an order from the bankruptcy court is final and immediately appealable or interlocutory and requiring leave to appeal under 28 U.S.C. 158. After the district court rules on an appeal from the bankruptcy court, a further appeal lies to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The filing of a petition triggers the automatic stay under section 362, and counsel must know how the bankruptcy court affects any pending state-court litigation involving the debtor.

The first question a client should ask is which side of the docket the lawyer usually stands on. Debtor practice and creditor practice in this bankruptcy court call for different habits. A debtor's lawyer drafts the schedules, values the assets, builds a plan, and shepherds the case toward discharge. A creditor's lawyer files proofs of claim and moves for relief from the stay when the collateral is at risk. The same lawyer reads the plan line by line for the client's treatment. Some firms do both sides and wall off conflicts. Others pick a lane. Neither choice is better in the abstract, but it should fit your position.

Trustee relationships matter more than newcomers expect. In Chapter 7 a panel trustee gathers and liquidates assets. In Chapter 13 a standing trustee reviews every plan and disburses payments to creditors month after month. These trustees appear before the bankruptcy court constantly, and they hold settled views on valuation and on which objections they will press. A lawyer who has dealt with the district's trustees for years knows how to answer a trustee's inquiry before it hardens into a motion. A lawyer like that reads the room.

Conflicts deserve a direct question. A firm that represents both debtors and creditors must keep the two practices apart, and it cannot take a matter against a current client. Ask whether the firm has ever represented the trustee, a large creditor, a lender, or a servicer likely to appear in your case. In a small district the same institutions recur, and a conflict that surfaces mid-case can force a change of counsel at the worst moment. A lawyer who screens for this at intake saves you that trouble.

Fees in bankruptcy are not a private matter between lawyer and client. The code regulates them. Under 11 U.S.C. § 329 a debtor's attorney must disclose compensation paid or agreed to for services in connection with the case, and the bankruptcy court can order the return of any payment beyond the reasonable value of the work. Professionals retained by a trustee or a debtor in possession must be employed under 11 U.S.C. § 327 and paid under 11 U.S.C. § 330, which allows reasonable compensation subject to court review. A lawyer who takes a fee without these steps risks disgorgement.

Chapter 13 has its own fee custom worth understanding. Many judges approve a set fee, sometimes called a no-look fee, that a debtor's lawyer may charge without an itemized application, on the theory that a routine case takes a predictable amount of work. Practice on this point varies by judge and by the facts, so ask how your lawyer will be paid and whether the fee runs through the plan. A fee paid over time from plan payments feels lighter to a strapped debtor than one due at filing. The bankruptcy court still reviews it.

Ask about volume and depth together. High-volume consumer shops move cases efficiently and know the clerk's preferences cold, which helps in a straightforward Chapter 7. A contested valuation, a fraudulent transfer claim, an objection to discharge, or a lien-stripping fight calls for a lawyer who has tried such matters in the bankruptcy court and briefed them on appeal. Corporate reorganizations under Chapter 11, including the small business track under subchapter V, demand a different skill set again, with financing and creditor committees in play. Match the lawyer's daily work to what your case will actually require.

Location inside the district counts for practical reasons. The Eastern District of Kentucky covers a wide stretch of the state, and hearings and creditor meetings happen on the court's calendar, not the client's. A lawyer near the courthouse where your case will sit can appear on short notice for an emergency motion or a stay hearing. Distance is manageable with modern practice, but ask how the lawyer handles a same-week hearing before you assume it is fine.

Remember what this court is. The bankruptcy court in the Eastern District of Kentucky is a unit of the federal district court, and its judges are appointed by the Sixth Circuit rather than confirmed for life. That structure shapes appeals, as the first section described, and it shapes daily practice. A lawyer who treats this court as just another civil venue will misjudge the deadlines and the reference from the district court that defines what the judges can decide on their own. The core and non-core divide and the appellate path both trace back to that relationship.

Verification is where a directory earns its keep. This directory runs dated, editor-reviewed checks on firms that submit evidence, confirming licensure and standing before a verified profile goes live and recording when the review happened. A date matters because a bar status can change and an admission can lapse. Look for the review date on the profile, read what was checked, and treat an old or missing date as a reason to ask questions. Verification confirms that a lawyer is who the profile says. It does not measure skill, and it is not a recommendation.

Before you sign an engagement, gather a short set of facts. Confirm the lawyer is admitted to practice before the district and has appeared in this court recently. Ask how many cases like yours the lawyer closed last year and how many reached a contested hearing. Get the fee in writing, with the section 329 disclosure and the plan treatment spelled out. Ask who covers a hearing if the named lawyer is unavailable, because coverage in a distant county is a real problem. The answers tell you whether the firm knows this court or merely files here.

When retaining counsel for this bankruptcy court, verify whether the attorney concentrates on debtor representation or creditor recovery, because the two practices demand distinct procedural and strategic skills. Attorney fees in this bankruptcy court are governed by Code sections 329 and 330, and this directory's dated verification checks confirm that listed counsel remain in good standing.