If you've been arrested for a crime you didn't commit, you need to defend your legal rights. You have the right to an attorney who can help you present your case. After being wrongly accused of something myself, I learned quickly how to navigate the legal avenues to have my case dismissed. My attorney was a great resource for building the case, and because of my understanding of the law, it worked. I created this site to share what I learned along the way and some other great tips for others who have been wrongly accused and arrested for a crime.
If an unpaid or contested debt of yours is sent to collections, you may be tempted to hire a lawyer to handle some of the work associated with getting the debt cleared. It used to be that if you were ignoring your creditors and were delinquent in paying, that your debt would be sold to a collection agency, but now there can be paperwork errors and other problems that result in you being contacted without prior knowledge of a debt. Or, you may have been aware of the problem but unable to deal with it for various reasons.
So, under what circumstances should you hire an attorney to manage the debt collection process for you?
1. You don't have the time to deal with the problem.
Most people who are in debt have more time than money to manage debt collection problems, but if you're an extremely busy person, you may find that it makes more sense to have a lawyer's office handle all communication with collections for you.
2. You aren't sure how to deal with collections agencies.
Some people become extremely stressed when trying to communicate with collections. You may find it to be less of a strain on your health and well-being to have an attorney manage your debt collections.
3. You don't know the law.
Debt collectors are subject to what's known as the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and have to act according to the information that the Federal Trade Commission has provided. That doesn't always mean that they do so. If you suspect you're dealing with a collections agency that is not following the rules, you may want to involve an attorney. You may even be able to collect damages if they have unfairly attacked or illegally communicated with you.
4. You may actually save money.
Rarely will a debt collector explain that you can settle for pennies on the dollar or take the time to walk through a settlement option with you. If you involve your lawyer, he or she will know all the possibilities for settling debt. The attorney can negotiate on your behalf with a creditor to get the debt paid for less than you might have managed. Even considering the cost of the lawyer's time, you might come out ahead - and you won't have the threat of collections looming over your head.
5. You don't have to worry about a lawsuit.
When you have an attorney dealing with your issues, you know that you won't inadvertently - or purposefully - miss communicating with the creditor. As long as you continue in good faith to negotiate, you are unlikely to be hit with a lawsuit. Your attorney will be able to manage the process and keep that from happening, as well as the other issues that come come from a legal suit, like wage garnishment.
If your debt problems are causing you issues, hiring an experienced law firm that can manage debt collection agencies for you may be a big boon. You may end up saving money and you can eliminate the stress of having collectors contact you. Talk to a lawyer from a firm like Bayer Jerger & Underwood to find out what he or she can do for you and what the costs will be.
Share19 November 2014
