Attorney vs settlement company

Attorney based debt settlement works pretty much the same as a non-attorney debt settlement. The advantages of having a attorney based debt settlement is the debt collector can't continue to contact you after they have been made aware that you are being represented by an attorney . Plus some states like New Jersey and several others states only allow debt settlement services to be performed by a licensed attorney in the same state you live in.

Some attorneys do debt settlment. They could do the settlement for any kind of terms that both parties agree to. That agreement could be as set monthly payments or lump sum. Just tell the attorney what kind of agreement you want and see if they can negotiate it for you.

I agree with dollars. (JHC, did I just say that?)

Any lawyer can negotiate a settlement for you; relatively simple work for any litigator. I tend to feel that creditors take debtors a bit more seriously if they have legal representation, but YMMV.

FYI, in every state, lawyers are trained, licensed, must renew their knowledge through period retraining, are subject to discipline for misconduct, usually have malpractice insurance, and some state bar associations have funds available for clients whose lawyers totally screw up.

Settlement companies have none of the above.

Frankly I can't think of one thing that a settlement company could do that a decent lawyer can't.

Furthermore, most settlement companies charge very hefty fees. Hence the only reason you should go with the settlement company is if you just can't find an attorney, you feel you can't do it yourself, and the price works.

Either way caveat emptor.

Try to stay with a local attorney that you know and trust and possibly do the grunt work for them. These so called debt settlement law groups aren't neccessarily always what they appear to be and may not even have a real lawyer ever see your file. One debt settlement international law group was recently found to work out of an old house, with no lawyers ever even setting foot in the place. Maybe they do an excellent job for their clients but the fact they advertise as an international law group kind of debunks their credibility. Keep the process as much hands on as possible. Good luck