Did You See The District Judge ??

debt_doctor

HI ALL,

Since I joined these forums I ve found that there seems to be a lot of regional differences in the way bankruptcies are proccessed.

In my area, it is virtually unheard of for the bankrupt to actually see the district judge, but yet I hear of people doing just that !

Id like to hear your views, wether you saw the DJ or not

Cheers folks !

Best wishes

fermi

It does seem to vary by region and/or individual courts.

Not sure, but I've also got the impression that it can also vary with the preference of the DJ and the courts case load. But then again I haven't been recording details of every case I've seen, so I could be wrong.

I didn't see the judge, and I'm in the sort of South West.

rog2

Hi DD - although I live in the west country, I was declared bankrupt at the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand. Nothing 'dodgy' about my bankruptcy - it seems that HMRC will ONLY use the High Court.
I DID go in front of the judge - very small 'courtroom', nicely furnished - the only other person present was the solicitor acting for HMRC. We had to wait about 5 minutes and the judge came in - very pleasant, well spoken man in a blue suit. He explained his role, and that he was not there to question the rights or wrongs of HMRC's case as that had been dealt with by the issue of a CCJ. He asked me 1; Had I taken any advice about the effects of bankruptcy? and 2; would I like an adjournment in order to have a bit more time to pay HMRC. I answered that I had received limited advice and that I simply did not have the money, or ability to raise it, to pay HMRC (£70k). He then said 'Looks as if you could do with a fresh start' and proceeded with the 'declaration'. He then smiled at me, said 'that's it - not so bad, was it?' and suggested that, whilst I was there I might like to have a look around the Courts (bit like Hogwarts) shook my hand and wished me good luck.
Total time in front of judge - 3 minutes.

philnicandamy

Declared BR in march at liverpool court & saw the district judge, large courtroom lots of rows of seats with microphones I had to sit behind gave my name & answered questions from the district judge....she was very nice & very understanding had a chat about my health etc told me once the paperwork was signed to go home & enjoy my new stress free life..total time in fromt of judge....4 minutes!

PixiePie

Declared BR yesterday in London (Royal Courts of Justice). Didn't see the judge, just swore I was who I was infront of a desk girl, and told to come back 3 hours later to get my paperwork. Very painless.

simplesibbo

I saw the Judge and it was 100x better than I thought it would be. He was very understanding, in no way judgmental nor patronising and was very positive with me. We even had a brief chat about the performances of England's fotball, rugby and cricket teams! His last words to me were: 'I suggest you go home, have a drink and get a good night's sleep; you'll wake up tomorrow morning to a fresh start and with a smile on your face'. He was absolutely spot on. I had the best night's sleep I'd had in months and months and months...

betterlatethannever

I was declared BR at Blackpool county court and didn't see the judge (they are very busy at the mo)
All very easy

JulesJay

Went BR at Brighton and saw the judge.

Again a really nice guy, and wished me luck for the future!

Jules

penguin83

philnicandamy wrote: »

Declared BR in march at liverpool court & saw the district judge, large courtroom lots of rows of seats with microphones I had to sit behind gave my name & answered questions from the district judge....she was very nice & very understanding had a chat about my health etc told me once the paperwork was signed to go home & enjoy my new stress free life..total time in fromt of judge....4 minutes!

Hey, I may have seen you there! x

user55

I went to Macclesfield County Court and I saw the judge in a courtroom - he was pretty stern and serious but the questions were of the "do you understand the seriousness of this step" and "Have you taken professional advice" ilk. I guess I was in there less than 5 minutes.