The North Dakota Bankruptcy Court is part of United State Bankruptcy Court (Region 8). It serves the entire State of North Dakota with courts in Fargo (main office) and Bismarck (state capital). Listed below are the addresses, telephone numbers and names of individuals to contact for questions about your case.

       Also included on this page is helpful information about "Filing Fees and Forms", "The Trustees" and "Filing Bankruptcy with or without an Attorney".

Chief Bankruptcy Judge

       The Hon. Shon Kaelberer Hastings is the Chief Bankruptcy Judge for the District Bankruptcy Court of North Dakota. Her contact information is as follows; United States Bankruptcy Court, Attn: Hon. Shon K. Hastings, Quentin N. Burdick U.S. Courthouse, 655 First Ave. North, Fargo, ND 58102 / Telephone: (701) 297-7140. MaryBeth Hegstad and Jenny Gourde are the law clerks for Judge Hastings. They can also be reached at (701) 297-7140.

Fargo Court

       Fargo is the main office for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of North Dakota (see below for administrative staff names and telephone numbers). Contact information for the Fargo Court is as follows; United States Bankruptcy Court Quentin N. Burdick United States Courthouse, 655 1st Avenue North, Suite 210, Fargo, ND 58102 / Telephone: (701) 297-7100.

Bismarck Court

       The contact information for the bankruptcy court in Bismarck is as follows; Bismarck Bankruptcy Court, Federal Building and Court House, 220 East Rosser Ave., Bismarck ND 58502 / Telephone: (701) 530-2300.

       Both Courthouses are open Monday through Friday: 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM except designated federal government holidays.

Other Contact Information

       Relevant contact information is listed below with the names and phone numbers of those involved in administrative matters of the court.

- Judge / Law Clerks Telephone Number   Hon. Shon Hastings Chief Bankruptcy Judge (701) 297-7140   Jenny Lyn Gourde Law Clerk (701) 297-7140   MaryBeth Hegstad Law Clerk (701) 297-7140   Katie Stearns Law Clerk (701) 297-7140   - Administrative Telephone Number   Dianne G. Schmitz Clerk of Court (701) 297-7100   Ginger Elless Administrative Officer (701) 297-7103   Sharon Horsager Courtroom Deputy (701) 297-7142   Kay Melquist Courtroom Deputy (701) 297-7104   Ginger Schneider Operations Supervisor (701) 297-7111   Trina Spaeth Court Services Specialist (701) 297-7107

The Trustees

       Information on the Chapter 7, 12 and 13 Trustees can found at the North Dakota Trustees section of this web site.

Filing Fees and Forms

       The cost of filing Chapter 7, 11, 12 and 13 fees is listed below. For more information on other fees please see the Fee Schedule for the North Dakota Bankruptcy Court. Forms are available at the Bankruptcy Forms section in a PDF format.

- Type of Chapter - Filing Fee Chapter 7 $306.00 Chapter 9 $1,213.00 Chapter 11 $1,213.00 Chapter 12 $246.00 Chapter 13 $281.00 Chapter 15 Contact the court

Pro Se - Filing Bankruptcy without an Attorney

If you so choose to file bankruptcy on your own ("pro se" in Latin terms), there is a section on the North Dakota Bankruptcy Court web site titled Pro Se that can be helpful. It has information on bankruptcy basics, the terminology, fee waivers and more.

If You Decide to File Bankruptcy with an Attorney

       When you have read and fully understand the information and you decide to hire a lawyer (good idea) instead of filing bankruptcy on your own, read "Selecting an Attorney" and "Bankruptcy Specialist" on this web site. After reading these two sections, go to the North Dakota town or city of your choice in the Bankruptcy-Attorney.com (North Dakota Home Page) and find a number of attorneys that practice bankruptcy law. Contact the lawyers for an appointment and be prepared at the appointment to ask relevant questions about your case and take notes. Some attorneys will charge an initial consultation fee.

Written by Jack Garchar