A bankruptcy trustee is a person or entity who is independent of the bankruptcy court and is appointed to oversee your bankruptcy case. A bankruptcy trustee is appointed in most every case—except in Chapter 11 reorganizations and Chapter 9 municipality cases. The bankruptcy trustee is responsible for reviewing your bankruptcy forms, investigating and verifying your financial information, and making sure your bankruptcy filing is not fraudulent.

In Maine, as in other states, a bankruptcy trustee is an independent party appointed to manage the bankruptcy process for individuals or businesses. The trustee's role is to oversee the case, which includes reviewing bankruptcy documents, verifying the filer's financial information, and ensuring that the bankruptcy is legitimate and free of fraud. While trustees are used in most bankruptcy cases, including those filed under Chapter 7 and Chapter 13, they are not typically appointed in Chapter 11 reorganizations, which are often handled by the debtors themselves as 'debtors in possession,' or in Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy cases. The trustee also has the authority to sell nonexempt property to pay creditors, challenge creditors' claims, and pursue actions against third parties who may have property of the debtor or who owe the debtor money. The U.S. Trustee Program, a component of the Department of Justice, oversees the administration of bankruptcy cases and private trustees in Maine and other federal judicial districts, except for Alabama and North Carolina, which have a Bankruptcy Administrator program.