Having a debt sent to collections is easily one of the most stressful consumer situations most people encounter. From constant phone calls and false claims to straight up abuse and threats, it is a situation that rapidly leads to chronic anxiety and a financial tailspin.
To help people know where to get help from a debt collector harassment attorney and how to assess whether the law firm you’re considering is reputable, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued guidance titled “How do I find a lawyer to help me with a creditor or collector trying to collect a debt from me?”
The CFPB looks at 5 important questions to ask a debt collector harassment attorney and 1 key thing to look for to know that the law firm is professional and reputable.
Nailed it! We meet all 6 criteria the CFPB says matters most when you need a debt collector harassment attorney to fight abuse, harassment, threats, false collections, and more. Let’s take a look.
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1. How much of a law firm’s practice involves representing consumers?
Consumer Justice Law Firm is a consumer protection and employment discrimination law firm. That’s it. We focus on two key areas of the law that directly impact you in two of the biggest roles you play in society- consumers and employees.
Having a focused practice means we have focused experience and knowledge of relevant laws, client needs, the types of scenarios that arise, types of defenses put forth by unlawful debt collectors, and how to handle the outrageous tactics used by debt collectors to try to swindle, break, and demean you.
While every attorney who is licensed to practice in a given state can certainly take any case they want, it doesn’t mean that they are well-versed in the issues that matter. Being able to research the law is an important skill as an attorney in any practice area, but researching the law doesn’t give you the wealth of firsthand knowledge that can only come from working on debt collection harassment all the time during years and years of practice.
2. How Many Debt Collection Cases Has a Law Firm Handled Before?
Consumer Justice Law Firm only handles consumer protection and employment discrimination. Which means our attorneys are debt collector harassment attorneys, so we handle these cases all the time. Our legal team has over 75+ years of combined practice experience and we’ve helped over 10,000 clients recover more than $250 million dollars.
3. Does the Law Firm Charge an Upfront Fee?
Nope. At Consumer Justice Law Firm, our consultations are FREE and we do not charge you anything upfront or out-of-pocket. Our bills are paid by the companies we sue. The consumer protection laws that give you legal rights against debt collection agencies also give you the ability to get legal help without having to take on more debt or pay fees out-of-pocket. This fee-shifting system is a huge plus for people dealing with all kinds of consumer law issues, including debt collector harassment.
4. Will You Have to Pay Even if You Don’t Win?
Nope. At Consumer Justice Law Firm, we only get paid if we win your case in court or resolve your case outside of court (through a settlement). If we don’t win or settle, we don’t get paid.
5. If You Can’t Afford a Law Firm, Will They Refer You to Another Attorney?
Thankfully, this question was already answered indirectly above. You can always afford to work with Consumer Justice Law Firm because
- Our consultations are free. So, even if you call looking for a debt collector harassment attorney, but decide not to pursue legal action, we won’t bill you for the consultation.
- We don’t charge anything out-of-pocket. From the initial phone call through the investigation, legal fight, lawsuit, and resolution, we only get paid when we settle or win.
- We get paid by the companies we sue.
And, yes, if we think another type of attorney or legal practice area outside of our own is more suited to your situation, we will help you get to the right place.
6. Is Consumer Justice Law Firm reputable?
Yes! We are a team of experienced and skilled lawyers, working on behalf of consumers and employees across the country. But don’t take our word for it, check out our facts-
- We’re in Good Standing! The CFPB recommends making sure that any debt collector harassment attorney you work with is in good standing with your state bar association.
- We’ve earned recognition! Our Managing Partner, David Chami, was appointed to the national executive board for the National Association of Consumer Advocates, a leading consumer rights organization. In addition, Chami and our associate attorney, Micheal Yancey III, were both honored with nominations for the 2024 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award with the United States District Court for the District of Arizona.
- We’re advocates! Our attorneys are members of the National Association of Consumer Advocates and the National Consumer Law Center because we don’t just practice consumer protection law, we advocate for consumer rights.
What type of attorney is a debt collector harassment attorney?
A debt collector harassment attorney is a consumer protection attorney. This area of the law specifically helps consumers who are facing financial, credit, mental health, and reputational challenges arising out of things like background check errors, credit reporting errors, identity theft, and debt collection harassment.
It is acceptable to refer to this type of attorney by the broad category of consumer law that they practice (consumer protection attorney) or by the specific area of consumer law that you need help navigating (debt collector harassment attorney).
What is the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act?
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is a very important federal law that regulates the ways that debt collectors can interact with consumers. The FDCPA gives you rights that you can enforce against debt collectors who harass, abuse, threaten, intimidate, or otherwise act unethically and unlawfully toward you.
And it also puts certain legal obligations on the debt collectors, such as the obligation to verify a debt when asked or to communicate through a debt collector harassment attorney once they are representing someone.
What Counts as Debt Collector Harassment?
Because this is one of our primary practice areas, we invite you to check out our Debt Collection Harassment practice page. You’ll learn what debt collection harassment is, how it harms you, what steps to take against it, how a debt collector harassment attorney can help, what role the FDCPA plays in protecting you, what justice looks like for victims of this abuse, and the different reasons that consumers find themselves the target of these shady, unscrupulous, and unlawful debt collection practices.
Call now! Justice is only one phone call away. The Consumer Justice Law Firm team is here to help. No justice, no fee.