Jeffrey Roberts Emily
Winning a monetary award in civil court can feel like an enormous victory. Perhaps it is. But once the excitement of victory fades, you are left with the task of actually collecting what you are owed. How are you going to do that? More importantly, what are you going to do if the other party fails to cooperate?
I am certainly no expert in civil law or judgment collection. But I do know enough about both to recommend letting professionals handle collection. Rather than attempting to do it yourself, turn collection over to an experienced attorney or a specialist collection agency.
A specialist collection agency is an agency like Judgment Collectors out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Judgment Collectors specializes in judgments. Collecting them as all they do. The agency is active in multiple states. collecting judgments on behalf of businesses and individuals.
A Lack of Cooperation Is Common
If I were attempting to collect a judgment, my first choice for professional help would be a specialist agency. Why? Because judgment debtors are notorious for being uncooperative. Their lack of cooperation is so common that agencies like Judgment Collectors expect it.
This lack of cooperation only creates problems for creditors. For example, a creditor might not trust the information a debtor supplies about employment and income. The creditor never really knows if a debtor is telling the truth about his assets.
Trying to separate fact from fiction can be a daunting task. It is especially difficult if you do not know how to do it. One advantage of hiring a professional is gaining access to their knowledge and experience. Professionals know where to look. They know which sources provide the most accurate information. If a professional cannot separate fact from fiction, a creditor probably can’t either.
Debtors Attempt to Hide Assets
A debtor’s lack of cooperation can include attempting to hide assets. Let me offer you two examples, beginning with opening a new bank account the debtor chooses not to disclose. He could transfer money from known checking and savings accounts into this new account.
A second example involves real estate. A debtor smart enough to know that a piece of investment property could be leveraged for payment could choose to transfer that property to a business associate or family member. Doing so is generally against the law if it is done to avoid payment of a judgment, but would a creditor with no experience in judgement collection know enough to look for such property?
You and I might not know how to look for hidden property. An attorney or specialist collection agency does. The professionals know all the tricks debtors try. They know where and how to look for evidence of such tricks.
Debtors Sometimes Disappear
The ultimate act of failing to cooperate is taking steps to hide from creditors. For instance, a debtor might pack his things and move on. He does not provide forwarding information, leaving the creditor to wonder where he went. A creditor who does not know how and where to find such a debtor might never get paid.
On the other hand, professionals are familiar with the practice of skip tracing. They use it all the time. Skip tracing is a combination of strategies and tools for locating people who are trying to stay hidden.
There are plenty of reasons to let a professional collect a judgment on your behalf. If I had an outstanding judgment, I wouldn’t hesitate to bring in a specialist collection agency. They are experts at collection. It’s best to let them handle it.
