U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of New York
6 judges profiled from their own signed orders: how each rules on motions, with the orders quoted. Court-wide standing orders ↓
Robert E. Littlefield Jr.Retired 2025
Bankruptcy judge
Diane DavisRetired 2023
Bankruptcy judge
Margaret Cangilos-RuizRetired
Bankruptcy judge
Stephen D. GerlingRetired
Bankruptcy judge
Patrick G. Radel
Bankruptcy judge
Wendy A. Kinsella
Bankruptcy judge
Standing orders for every case in this court
Orders the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of New York applies to all of its cases, whichever judge has them, as published on the court's website (checked October 11, 2026). Courts revise these, so confirm the current version before you file. The court's local rules ↗
- Administrative Order 21-01: Highly Sensitive Documents ↗
- Administrative Order 24-02: Chapter 12 Debtor Counsel Fees ↗
- Administrative Order 22-03: Chapter 13 Debtor Counsel Fees ↗
Filing
Chapter 12 debtor’s counsel must state the proposed fee in both the Rule 2016(b) statement and the Chapter 12 plan.
“Chapter 12 debtors’ attorneys shall set forth the amount of the legal fee to be charged for services rendered to the debtor, including any amount paid prepetition, in both the statement required by Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 2016(b) (the ‘2016(b) Statement’) and the debtor’s Chapter 12 plan.”
Motions
A Chapter 12 flat fee of up to $10,000 is presumptively reasonable under the order and generally needs no separate fee application or hearing.
“Except as otherwise ordered by the court, after a hearing held on notice to all parties in interest, a Flat Fee of up to $10,000, considering the complexity of the case, shall be deemed presumptively reasonable under 11 U.S.C. § 330(a) and eliminates the necessity for a hearing or filing of a fee application.”
Motions
Chapter 13 debtor’s counsel may request an additional fee within the motion or response concerning the additional legal service.
“Debtor’s attorney may include a request for an Additional Fee in an affirmative or responsive pleading, and the order resolving the matter may include disposition of the matter and the approved Additional Fee.”
Sealing
Move for highly sensitive document treatment before submitting the proposed document; do not file the proposed document electronically.
“A party seeking to treat a document as an HSD shall file a motion with the court with notice to the other parties, unless the court orders otherwise. The motion may be filed electronically or in paper format, except that the proposed HSD shall NOT be filed electronically.”
Sealing
Deliver an original and one copy of a proposed highly sensitive document to the clerk in a sealed envelope marked “HIGHLY SENSITIVE DOCUMENT.”
“As soon as practicable after the motion is filed, the filing party shall deliver to the Clerk’s Office in the division where the assigned judge sits, an original plus one copy of the proposed HSD, unfolded, in a sealed envelope marked ‘HIGHLY SENSITIVE DOCUMENT.’”