Search Lee County Bankruptcy Records

Lee County bankruptcy records are handled by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas in Little Rock and are available to the public through PACER. This page covers the federal court details, how to reach the local Circuit Clerk in Marianna, and the online tools you can use to search for Lee County case filings and debtor information.

Federal Bankruptcy Court for Lee County

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas processes all bankruptcy cases from Lee County. The courthouse is at 300 W. 2nd Street, Little Rock, AR 72201. Phone: 501-918-5500. This court covers 41 counties in eastern Arkansas. Lee County sits in the east part of the state in the Mississippi Delta region. Cases here include Chapter 7, Chapter 13, and Chapter 11 filings.

Electronic filing has been in place since 2001. Attorneys use CM/ECF. The public uses PACER to view filed documents. The court is part of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. If you call the court outside of business hours, the automated case information line at 866-222-8029 extension 243 is available around the clock and can give you basic details like filing dates, case numbers, and meeting of creditor information.

Lee County Circuit Clerk

Circuit Clerk Diane Bowman maintains court records and land records for Lee County. The office is located at the Lee County Courthouse, 15 E Chestnut St, Marianna, AR 72360. The courthouse general number is (870) 295-7700. The Assessor's office is at (870) 295-7750. The Circuit Clerk's office handles state court filings, deeds, and liens. It does not hold federal bankruptcy records, but it is the right place to check for recorded judgments and liens related to property in Lee County.

If someone has a state court judgment recorded as a lien on Lee County property and later files for bankruptcy, that lien may be addressed in the federal case. You would find the judgment in the Circuit Clerk's records and the bankruptcy action in PACER. The two systems work separately but can affect each other when property is involved in a bankruptcy case.

Online assessment and circuit clerk information for Lee County is also available through the county mobile services portal at mobile.countyservice.net.

Lee County Bankruptcy Records on PACER

To search Lee County bankruptcy cases, visit pacer.uscourts.gov and log into your account. Select the Eastern District of Arkansas Bankruptcy Court. Search by debtor name, case number, or attorney name. PACER displays the full case docket, all filed documents, the creditor list, and any court orders including the final discharge or dismissal. The cost is $0.10 per page, capped at $3.00 per document. Charges under $30 in a quarter are waived.

If you need to search across multiple courts, use the PACER Case Locator at pcl.uscourts.gov. This national index lets you search all federal courts at once. You can narrow results by state, district, name, and filing date range. This is useful for checking whether someone filed in a different district before or after a Lee County case.

Arkansas CourtConnect for Lee County State Records

The Arkansas CourtConnect portal at caseinfo.arcourts.gov gives free access to state Circuit Court records for Lee County. This covers civil, criminal, domestic, and probate cases. Federal bankruptcy cases are not in this system. Use CourtConnect when you want to check for state court judgments or confirm case outcomes at the state level. Searches can be done by name or case number and most records after the system launch are available online.

What Lee County Bankruptcy Records Include

A federal bankruptcy file from Lee County contains the debtor's petition, schedules listing all assets and all debts, a statement of financial affairs, and the full creditor list with claim amounts. The trustee assigned to the case files regular reports. If the debtor has property, the trustee reviews its value and determines whether any of it must be sold to pay creditors. All of those steps produce documents that become part of the public record.

The case ends with a discharge order or a dismissal. Discharges are granted when the debtor meets all requirements. Dismissals happen when requirements are not met. Both outcomes are visible in PACER. Personal identifiers like full Social Security numbers and bank account numbers are redacted. Name, city, filing date, chapter type, and case result are public. To get certified copies of any bankruptcy court document, contact the Eastern District courthouse in Little Rock directly.

Local Resources for Lee County Filers

Legal Aid of Arkansas offers free civil legal help to income-qualifying residents in Lee County through their statewide intake line. For a referral to a private attorney, use the Arkansas Bar Association's Lawyer Referral Service at arkbar.com. Federal law requires all bankruptcy filers to complete a credit counseling course before they file and a financial management course before they receive a discharge. Both courses are widely available online and cost $10 to $50. Fee waivers are available for low-income filers.

Bankruptcy Case Types Filed in Lee County

Lee County residents most often file under Chapter 7 or Chapter 13. Chapter 7 is a liquidation case that takes three to six months and can discharge most unsecured debts like credit cards, medical bills, and personal loans. A debtor must pass the means test to use Chapter 7. Chapter 13 lets people with regular income keep property and catch up on past-due secured debts through a multi-year repayment plan. It is often used when someone needs to stop a foreclosure or keep a vehicle.

Chapter 11 is less common but available for businesses and individuals with very high debt levels. Lee County is a rural delta county, and most filings are from individuals rather than business entities. All Lee County filings go to the Eastern District of Arkansas Bankruptcy Court in Little Rock. The court assigns a trustee to each case and oversees the process from the initial filing through to the final order.

Nearby Counties

Lee County is in eastern Arkansas along the Mississippi River. Nearby counties include Phillips County, St. Francis County, Cross County, Woodruff County, Monroe County, and Crittenden County. All of these counties file bankruptcy cases through the Eastern District courthouse in Little Rock.