Debt Collection

What to Expect

After being approved for services through intake, a volunteer attorney will attempt to call you on the phone at a specific window of time. For example, volunteer attorneys often try to call clients between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Fridays. The attorney may be able to provide basic advice about common problems with creditors and debt collectors during a 15-20 minute advice session over the phone. Please do not miss the call from the volunteer attorney, as they may not be able to call you a second time. Please email any paperwork relating to questions you may have about your case to Heidi Huber at heidi.huber@vlnmn.org before your call with a volunteer lawyer. 

Frequently Used Resources

Debtor-Creditor Phone Advice

Volunteer Lawyers Network (VLN) may be able to provide free legal advice regarding disputes with creditors and debt collectors.  VLN does not provide debtor-creditor phone advice to people who are currently being sued. 

Debtor-creditor phone services may be able to help with issues that do NOT involve current lawsuits, such as: 

  • a dispute with a creditor over a debt, 
  • questions about collection practices, including creditor harassment, 
  • wage or bank garnishments after someone loses a lawsuit and a judgment is entered by a court, 
  • concerns about debts they cannot pay, 
  • or collecting on a judgment. 
     

Here are some specific example cases that appropriate for Debtor-Creditor Phone Advice: 

  • Someone is having trouble paying their credit card bill and wants to know what happens if they stop paying. 
  • Someone owes money for a medical bill, cell phone bill, cable bill, or any other bill that the client cannot afford to pay and wants to know what happens if they stop paying. 
  • Someone is getting telephone calls or letters from a creditor they can’t afford to pay demanding payment. 
  • Someone feels harassed by a debt collector and wants to know if they can do anything to stop the harassment. 
  • Someone has a debt appearing on the client’s credit report that is preventing the client from getting a new loan or from renting an apartment and wants to know if they can do anything to get the debt off the credit report.