The Different Roles of a Collections Attorney

 

Even responsible, financially secure people can get behind on bills. Serious medical issues, a job loss or other emergencies can hamper anyone’s budget. If your debt starts to become crippling, you may start getting calls from a collections agency. On the other side, if you work for a collections company, you have the responsibility to work with customers and get them to become current on their accounts. Collections attorneys can help both parties when they experience challenges. Whether you represent a collections company or you’re the one who owes money, an attorney may be a good resource to turn to for help.

For the Customer

If you are struggling to keep up with credit card payments, medical bills or installment agreements, it’s best to communicate with the creditors and express any hardships you’re facing. If these efforts aren’t successful, a collections attorney can help. A lawyer can be your advocate to negotiate with the creditor to lower your payments, forgive portions of the debt or extend the payment plan. Collections attorneys have experience working with collections companies and also understand the laws and regulations governing their practices. Similarly, an attorney can work on your behalf if you believe a collections company is harassing you with excessive phone calls or letters. If you believe you are being treated unfairly, a lawyer can look at your case and ensure that your rights are protected.

For the Agency

While many customers are well-meaning consumers who, due to little or no fault of their own, get behind on bills, others are deliberately delinquent or irresponsible. As a representative of a collections company, you have the responsibility to bring accounts current and ensure that people pay their debts. Despite your best efforts, people will ignore your calls and requests to pay. If this happens, you can turn to a collections attorney to escalate the matter. An attorney’s contact often creates a heightened sense of urgency for a customer. The attorney will work on the collection agency’s behalf and help protect its good name.

Trusted Professionals

When you hire an experienced collections attorney, you can have the peace of mind that this person has the knowledge and training you can rely on. Dealing with collections issues can be overwhelming and stressful.

If you are not making any progress in your situation, turn to a lawyer for the assistance you need. For both customers and collections companies, a lawyer, like a bankruptcy lawyer from Law Offices of Ronald I. Chorches, can be a valuable asset in these matters.