Debt Collection Attorney

Debt Collection Attorney

From time to time life throws us circumstances that may cause us to miss paying a bill on time, or even not paying it at all.  Once these bills have been with the owed party for an extended amount of time unpaid most companies will solicit the help of a collection attorney to collect the debt for them.  

The amount of time you have before an account is turned over to a collection attorney can vary from as little as 3 months to 24 months or more.  You will definitely know when it has been turned over as the collection attorneys will start calling you about the money owed to the creditor.  Collection attorneys can collect on all kinds of debt.  Money that you owe a bank, apartment complex, credit cards, medical bills.    

Collection attorneys have access to information that will help them in tracking down the debtor.  If they can’t find your address, or have had statements returned they can use reverse phone directories, or may even access city records or use a service such as Net Detective.  Once you have been contacted the collection attorney will want you to pay the debt in full.  If you can’t they will at minimum want you to setup a payment plan.  This can either be weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.  You will also then owe them a fee as well.  The collection attorneys will attempt in every means possible to collect on the debt for the creditor, or if they have sold them the debt collect on the debt they purchased.  

You do have the option to contact the original creditor which you owe and explain to them the situation and see if you can make arrangements with them to avoid further fees.  Many will agree especially if you can make a payment immediately.  

You should check your credit profile often to ensure that your credit record does not include duplicate reports.  It is your legal right to have duplicate reports of the same account removed should they occur.  You have the legal right to protect your credit report and make sure that any collection activities are reported correctly against you.