Collections attorneys pursue unpaid debts on behalf of creditors, and in some cases defend debtors from collection: demand and settlement negotiation, suits on account, judgments and their enforcement through garnishment, bank levies and liens, fraudulent transfer claims, and judgment enforcement across state lines.
Creditor-side work is procedural and volume-driven. Debtor-side work usually turns on whether the debt is provable, whether it was validly assigned, whether the limitation period has run, and what income and property are exempt from seizure.
Before you hire
- Creditors: ask about fee structure — contingency, hourly, or a hybrid — and about the firm's record of actually collecting on judgments, not just obtaining them.
- Debtors: never ignore a summons. A default judgment is far harder to undo than a case defended on time, and it lasts for years.
- Ask whether federal or state collection-practice statutes apply. They restrict how consumer debts may be pursued.
Consumer law and bankruptcy cover the debtor side more fully.