In the southern New York area, there are two principal Federal Courts. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District Of New York comprises the counties of New York, Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess and Sullivan. Its headquarters are at Foley Square, New York, NY. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District Of New York comprises the counties of Kings, Queens, Suffolk, Nassau and Richmond. Its headquarters are at 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, NY. Other locations are White Plains, Uniondale and Hauppauge. The courts are well run and information on cases can be obtained in the clerk's offices in each building. The records are for lawsuits only, but they may shed some light on a company or an individual. Federal cases are usually fairly complex, dealing with such issues as antitrust, the U.S. Constitution, and Civil Rights. Matters including hundreds or thousands of individuals such as asbestos, agent orange and the environment are usually brought in Federal Court. Even though the judges are appointed for life, they are very hard working jurists. Not every case can be brought in this court. The matter must meet certain specific criteria on case type, amount in controversy and location of parties.

Bankruptcy Courts are part of the Federal Courts but their offices are located in other buildings. For the Southern District, the Bankruptcy court is located at U.S. Custom House, One Bowling Green, New York, NY. For the Eastern District, the court is located at 75 Clinton Street, Brooklyn, NY. All bankruptcy indexes are alphabetical by last name. It may be very important to check these records before lending money, even if the loan is secured by land or buildings. Prospective tenants for large leases may also warrant a check of these records.

Following are floor plans of various Federal Court Clerk's offices, including bankruptcy.