U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Georgia
6 judges profiled from their own signed orders: how each rules on motions, with the orders quoted. Court-wide standing orders ↓
John S. DalisRetired 2017
Bankruptcy judge
Susan D. Barrett
Bankruptcy judge, appointed by Merit selection
Edward J. Coleman III
Bankruptcy judge, appointed by Merit selection
Lamar W. Davis Jr.Retired 2016
Bankruptcy judge
Michele J. Kim
Bankruptcy judge, appointed by Merit selection
Herman W. CoolidgeDeceased
Bankruptcy judge
Standing orders for every case in this court
Orders the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Georgia applies to all of its cases, whichever judge has them, as published on the court's website (checked October 10, 2026). Courts revise these, so confirm the current version before you file. The court's local rules ↗
- General Order 2024-3: Electronic Case Files and Administrative Procedures ↗
- General Order 2022-1: Negative Notice Procedures ↗
- General Order 2017-1: Motion for Relief from Stay ↗
- General Order 2024-1: Discharge Requirements ↗
- General Order 2017-2: Chapter 13 Attorney Compensation ↗
- E-Orders Trustee and Attorney Guidelines and Procedures ↗
Filing
Absent a waiver, admitted attorneys, trustees, examiners, and the U.S. trustee must file, sign, and verify documents electronically.
“Absent a judicial waiver, all attorneys in good standing admitted to practice before this Court, including attorneys appearing pro hac vice, trustees or examiners serving in any case pending in the Court, and the United States trustee shall file, sign, and verify documents only by electronic means”
Filing
Creditors filing at least 15 proofs of claim in 12 months must file electronically; attorneys must file every claim electronically.
“Creditors that file fifteen (15) or more proofs of claim during any 12-month period must file claims electronically. Attorneys who file claims for themselves, their firms, or on behalf of any other entity shall file all claims electronically”
Filing
Retain the fully signed original of a verified pleading for five years after appeals conclude or the appeal period expires.
“An attorney filing a Verified Pleading should thereafter maintain in his or her office the original Verified Pleading in its entirety for at least five (5) years after the conclusion of all appeals or the expiration of time for filing a timely appeal”
Filing
In individual Chapter 13 cases, file a discharge eligibility certification within 30 days after the trustee’s notice of completed plan payments.
“In Chapter 13 cases, the certification should be filed within thirty (30) days after the filing of the trustee's notice of completion of plan payments.”
Filing
Serve a discharge eligibility certification on the U.S. trustee, case trustee, domestic-support recipients, and all parties in interest.
“The debtor shall serve the certification of eligibility for discharge on the United States Trustee, the trustee, all domestic support obligation recipients, and all parties in interest”
Filing
For Chapter 13 cases filed since July 24, 2017, a fee claim up to $4,500 can be approved without objection under the no-look procedure.
“effective in all Chapter 13 cases filed on or after July 24, 2017, a claim for attorney's fees for services rendered and expenses advanced to a Chapter 13 debtor will be deemed automatically approved by the Court, in the absence of an objection, so long as said claim does not exceed the sum of four thousand five hundred dollars ($4,500.00)”
Filing
Upload proposed orders as PDF or PDF/A files without PDF security.
“Orders may only be uploaded in PDF or PDF/A format, and must contain a ‘.pdf’ extension. No security should be applied to the PDF file.”
Filing
End each proposed order with a centered, bold “[END OF DOCUMENT]” line below the order text.
“the last line in the order must consist of [END OF DOCUMENT] in bold, upper case letters, centered on the page, one line below the end of the order’s text.”
Motions
Use the court’s negative-notice procedure for the listed motions, including Chapter 13 codebtor stay relief and claim objections.
“establishing negative notice procedures with the following types of pleadings: • Motion for Relieffrom Co-Debtor Stay (Chapter 13) • Objection to Claim”
Motions
Use Local Form B-55 for stay-relief orders in Chapter 13 and consumer Chapter 7 cases.
“attorneys are required to utilize the court's Order on Motion for Relief from Stay (Local Form B-55) in Chapter 13 cases and consumer Chapter 7 cases.”