Why should I hire you instead of another attorney?

There are tens of thousands of attorneys in Missouri. In my opinion, there are less than five who are qualified to handle the complexities that may arise in your Consumer Defense case. Just like there are tens of thousands of doctors, but few brain surgeons, very few attorneys focus their whole practice on this particular area of law. The United States Supreme Court recently described the FDCPA as "comprehensive and complex," and it is. Most attorneys simply have not devoted the hundreds of hours of additional time and substantial effort necessary to fully understand this specific area of law. If you have received an advertisement letter from another attorney offering to represent you, there is a chance that he or she is fresh out of law school, has never won a trial, or simply does not have a deep understanding of this complex area of law.
I have handled many thousands of these cases, and my success rate is exemplary. The odds are great that the attorney that is suing you, and the judge that will decide your case, both know and respect me. In fact, many of those same attorneys and judges refer their friends and family to me, when their loved ones get sued for old debt. In fact, some of the other attorneys who sent you advertisement letters call me to ask my advice about these cases, because I know more about how to win these cases than they do. Shouldn't you call the attoney whom other attorneys turn to for help?

What time of day may a debt collector call me?

Collectors can only call you between 8:00 am and 9:00 pm. If they call before or after that time window, they are violating the law.

Is a debt collector allowed to leave messages on my voice mail?

A debt collector can leave their name and number. But a debt collector should not leave any information that indicates that they are calling about a debt, because that message could be heard by another person. Leaving such a message can be a violation of the FDCPA.

Can a debt collector call my work?

A debt collector can only call you at work to verify your location information. If you tell them that you aren't allowed to get calls at work, they must stop calling. They can't tell someone at your work that you owe a debt, or call more than once. Many clients tell me that the debt collector calls their work repeatedly. This is a violation of the FDCPA.

A debt collector calls me ten times per day. I asked him to stop but he said he's going to call me repeatedly until I pay. Is that legal?

No. The FDCPA prohibits a debt collector from "engaging any person in telephone conversation repeatedly or continuously with the intent to annoy, abuse or harass." If this happens, please call me.

Can a debt collector garnish my wages?

Before they can garnish you wages, a debt collector has to sue you, then win the law suit. In the vast majority of cases, I stop them from winning, so they cannot garnish your wages.

Can I go to jail over this?

No. You cannot be put in jail for owing a consumer debt. A collector who threatens to put you in jail is violating the FDCPA.

Do I have to go to Court?

Either you or your attorney has to show up in court. If you or your attorney does not show up, you will automatically lose your case. If I represent you, you will not have to go to court on your summons date. I will handle that for you.

Can a friend or family member go to court for me?

No. You or your attorney has to show up. Your spouse cannot go for you, even if you have signed a Power of Attorney.

After you win my case, how does that effect my credit history?

Winning your case can improve your credit history. In some cases, the collection company will remove any negative information they had reported on your credit history. In other cases, they may stand aside while you remove it.