Going to court to win a judgment against a debtor is the first step in collecting money you are rightfully owed. Hopefully, the debtor cooperates fully with you and your attorney at the time the judgment is entered. If not, you will have to decide how to pursue payment moving forward.
Here at Judgment Collectors, we are a debt collection agency that specializes in judgments. We do not collect any other kinds of debts, which enables us to focus all of our attention on this particular field. It has also allowed us to develop proprietary tools for finding creditors and their assets. We use those tools to make sure clients get paid.
You could hire us or another collection agency. You could also hire an attorney. Perhaps the same attorney who represented you in court will offer to attempt collection efforts for you. Should you go with an attorney? Should you go with Judgment Collectors?
Start with Specialties
Debt collection is tricky business. First of all, there are different types of debts needing collection. There are delinquent auto loans and mortgages. There are medical bills. And yes, there are judgments resulting from lawsuits against debtors. We say all that to say this: when deciding between a judgment collection agency and attorney, the place to start is specialty.
It is a safe bet that your attorney does not specialize in judgment collection. He represents you in court extremely well, but debt collection is not his thing. Is he going to be your best hope for recovering payment? Probably not. Likewise, general collection agencies that do not specialize in judgments may not have the tools or resources to do what we do.
Caseload Makes a Difference
The next thing to consider is caseload. Unless an attorney specializes in debt collection, he has other things on his plate. Your case might get limited attention if his office is bogged down with other cases. And depending on how much your attorney is charging for debt collection, your case might end up pretty low on the priority list.
Caseload also plays a role in the attention you get from debt collectors. But know this: a collection agency specializing in judgments is not distracted by other types of cases. A focus on judgments automatically means your case gets more attention.
Tools and Resources Matter
Attorneys offering to collect judgments on behalf of their clients mean well. There is no reason to believe that they don’t give their best effort. But attorneys do not necessarily have access to the tools and resources we have as specialized judgment collectors.
Remember that attorneys are practitioners of law first, and everything else second. The tools and resources they have are designed to make practicing law as efficient as possible. Those same tools are not necessarily helpful to debt collection.
Research and Ask Questions
There is no black-and-white answer to the question of whether or not you should hire Judgment Collectors or go with an attorney. As a general rule, we believe a specialized judgment collection agency is the better bet for the simple fact that specialty and focus matter. But beyond that, any decision you make should ultimately be the result of your research.
Research your options to determine which one offers you the greatest chances of recovery. Along the way, do not be afraid to ask plenty of questions. Learn how your attorney would approach collecting on your debt. Likewise, feel free to ask us about what we do and how we do it. In the end, your best option is the one that gives you the greatest chances of getting paid.