(a)  Motion and Order.  Parties seeking joint administration under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1015(b) must file a motion and submit a proposed order in substantial conformity with L.B.F. 1015-1.1.

(b)  Notice.  When the Court enters an order granting joint administration, the Clerk, or such other person as the Court may direct, must provide notice to all creditors and parties in interest that the administrative procedures listed herein apply.  The Court may, in its discretion, order that the debtor maintain a comprehensive service list of creditors for all jointly administered estates.

(1)  Unless otherwise ordered, jointly administered cases will be reassigned to the judge to whom the lowest-numbered (first) case was assigned.  The lowest-numbered case will be known as the “lead case.”

(2)  Unless otherwise ordered, all motions, pleadings, and other documents filed in the jointly administered case must bear a combined caption which includes the full name and number of each specific case as in Official Form 416A, Caption and must be filed, docketed and processed in the lead case, except for the following:

(A) a motion which applies to fewer than all jointly administered debtors must clearly indicate in the caption and title to which debtor the motion applies, but must still be filed in the lead case;

(B) all proofs of claim must be filed in the specific case to which they apply;

(C) monthly financial reports must be filed in the specific case to which they apply; and

(D) amendments to schedules, statements, lists and other required documents in Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1002 and 1007 must be filed in the specific case to which the amendments apply.

(c)  Effect on Substantive Issues.  Any order directing joint administration does not affect the substantive issues of the jointly administered estates, either individually or collectively, nor does it affect the requirements of Fed. R. Bankr. P. 2009.

(d)  Limitations.  The Court will not approve joint administration if the Court anticipates that joint administration will have an adverse impact on the substantive rights of the claimants, other interested parties, or the respective debtor estates.  This includes failure of a debtor’s attorney to allocate fees and costs properly to the applicable debtor.  Fee applications filed in jointly administered cases must designate the entity to which fees and costs are attributable.

(e)  Separate Motion Required for Substantive Consolidation.  Parties seeking substantive consolidation must do so by separate motion.