Is there a service that is free?
2006-09-28 08:24:31 · 11 answers · asked by JLT 1 in Business & Finance ➔ Personal Finance
you probably need a good bankruptcy attorney at this point. there are dozens and dozens in the yellow pages, good luck to you...you might want to check out "consumer credit counseling" service in your area first though, not the ones who advertise on the net, t.v. and in rag magazines, find a non-profit one in your area. they might be able to ward off bankruptcy and save your credit...check it out..they will have you cut up your credit cards, establish a re-payment plan and restructure your debt to your income....
2006-09-28 08:28:09 · answer #1 · answered by Marvin C 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should get an attorney. You could defend the suit yourself, but you will have to make all of the court appearances and prepare all of the pleadings yourself. All court decisions are binding, even if you did not have an attorney.
The credit card companies will hire a local law firm w/in your area or state to handle your case. Your 1st court appearance will most likely be in arbitration where a panel of 3 attorneys will decide your case after hearing testimony & evidence. If you lose, you will have to appeal to a commonwealth or state court. If you have a lot of credit card bills and a small income, you may want to look into filing for bankruptcy. But if you do that, you will need an attorney.
Hope your situation improves. Good Luck.
2006-09-28 08:34:09 · answer #2 · answered by mcmillae 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can try Legal Aid. They will probably help you with the paperwork that you need to do. They probably will not be in the courtroom with you. But they are free.
You can also look for a lawyer that is well versed in the FDCPA on the first link I've provided.
If you find one and call for an appointment, ask if they will give you a free first consult - many will.
Take everything with you, all of the court papers, all of the letters you have ever received from the creditor and their lawyer and also pull your credit reports from "each" bureau and take them with you.
IF the creditor had violated your rights in the letters they sent or on your credit reports, you may be able to file counterclaims.
IF you have counters, the lawyer may(?) take the case on a contingency basis. IF you win, your lawyer should/would request that the other side pays your lawyer fees.
Also, be sure and check the statute of limitations for collecting in your state. A credit card is an "open" account !!!
(If you are out of the statute of limitations, they have filed on a time barred debt.)
2006-09-28 09:39:25 · answer #3 · answered by echo 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
A Bankruptcy Attorney
2006-09-28 08:27:22 · answer #4 · answered by cawillms 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no free service for the type of suits that credit card companies would bring against an individual. (non-payment, fraud, etc.)
If the issue is that you haven't been paying, you should seek out a bankruptcy attorney. If they mention "fraud" in it I would recommend a criminal defense attorney.
Add on: the answer below mine mentioned legal aid. They only assist in situations like divorce, eviction, workers comp., etc. and do not get involved in "breach of contract" situations like you are facing. They would be overtaxed and those dealing with slum landlords/abusive husbands would suffer.
2006-09-28 08:37:33 · answer #5 · answered by dlil 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
You need a bank-ruptcy attorney. Also, there are financial reform companies that act as a buffer between you and the cc co.'s. They can get your payments down and protect you from their constant harrassment.
2006-09-28 08:27:38 · answer #6 · answered by jemrx2 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Any lawyer will demand payment before talking to you. Why give the money to them when you can use it to pay your bill?
Here's what you should do:
Make a list of all of your creditors,
Figure out how much money you have available to pay on the bills
Divide the money equally and pay every one of them something.
If you can pay more than a payment use the excess to apply to a different bill.
Bottom line is, pay everybody some amount of money. If you are making regular payments, they can't sue you. They have to accept your payments even if they are smaller than what is asked for. If you pay off a creditor, use the money what would have gone to that one to increase payment sizes to the other ones. It takes time, but it works well.
2006-09-28 08:33:26 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
You need an expensive one. If your looking for free you can use the public defender or one that offers settlement based dees where the fee comes out of your judgement.
2006-09-28 08:26:33 · answer #8 · answered by nevyn55025 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
that makes no sense because credit card companies don't sue-they put your past due accounts into collections.
2006-09-28 08:32:51 · answer #9 · answered by NONAME 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it will have to be the very best one.
2006-09-29 03:18:45 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋