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
- LawHelp Minnesota’s self-help library on Money, Debt & Taxes has additional resources you may find helpful: https://www.lawhelpmn.org/self-help-library/money-debt-taxes.
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.