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Judgment FAQ'S
Q. I had an attorney obtain this judgment. How are they involved if I hire
you to recover the money?
A: Attorneys usually work by the hour on the types of cases we handle. Once
they obtain the judgment and they have been paid it is completely up to you
on how you wish to continue. If they worked on a contingent fee basis it is
up to you to ask for the judgment back from them, unless your contract with
them states otherwise. In many cases we will continue to utilize the same
attorney who obtained the judgment, if it is feasible for all parties.
Q: Can I use an attorney?
A: Absolutely. But remember, an attorney will charge you an hourly fee of
$175 to $350. Also, while many attorneys are skilled at getting judgments,
an attorney you choose may not be familiar with effective post-judgment
collection strategies. We work in concert with our own proven network of
collection attorneys. In addition we utilize attorneys exclusively for every
legal matter, such as filing motions, executing garnishments and levies and
foreclosure actions.
Q: Why do you take 50% of what is collected? Can you do it for less?
A: Every judgment case we have, since 1993, has been at 50%. By the time a
case comes to us most judgment holders are thrilled to get anything. We have
spent as much as $75,000.00 on legal fees out of our own pockets to pursue a
case. It is common that we spend $10,000.00 - $20,000.00 or more. To spend
that much and take a gamble on your case requires that we have some
incentive to do so.
Q: I found someone who said they would do it for less. Will you match their
rate?
A: No. We have hundreds of cases at our standard rate of 50%. It would be a
disservice to you to pretend a 33% case would receive the same treatment
from us as a 50% case would. We think you should consider who has the best
chance of obtaining a recovery for you. 50% of something is better than 33%
of nothing. No one has our track record or resources. Please consider our
references, and contact them if you have any question about our
capabilities. They will give you their unbiased opinion based on their
actual experience with us, compared to other companies they have used.
Q: But how much will it cost me, really?
A: It costs you absolutely
nothing else. We advance all costs. If we are successful in a recovery we
will first deduct legal fees, court and asset search report costs, then
split the rest with you 50/50.
Q: I thought my judgment was an order for the debtor to pay? Isn't the
debtor breaking the law by not paying me?
A: No, it is not against the law to owe money.
Q: Are you a collection agency?
A: In addition to being skilled investigators, we are licensed as a
collection agency by the State of Florida.
Q. Do you guarantee that you will recover the money?
A: There are no guarantees, other than we will pursue every legal
avenue we can
think of to try and recover the judgment. Every resource, every trick, every
maneuver in our arsenal will be employed to get results. After all, we do
not make money unless we do our best, successfully.
Q. How long is my judgment good?
A: The Florida statute of limitations on a domestic judgment is 20 years.
Q: What methods do you use to recover judgments?
A: There are a tremendous number of avenues we can pursue. After we receive
your case we will generate all of the investigative reports that can
indicate if there are any assets to pursue. Within a short amount of time we
will most likely know where a bank account or brokerage account is located,
worldwide. If we find an asset in another state we will domesticate the
judgment in that other state, and pursue collection there, simultaneously
with our Florida efforts. It is not unusual for us to be pursuing a judgment
in 3 or 4 states all at the same time.
Some of the remedies we may pursue include:
* Locating and foreclosing on real estate owned by the debtor or fraudulent
transferee’s.
* Seizure of personal property including motorcycles, boats, cars, furniture, art, other prized possessions and then selling them
at a public auction.
* Locating hidden bank and brokerage accounts and seizing those funds.
* Locating employment of the debtor and garnishing those wages, if they are
not exempt as head of household.
* Piercing through asset protection schemes and corporate veils.
* Seizing shareholders interests in corporations and obtaining charging
orders to attach interests in LLC’s and partnerships.
* Sheriff till taps (emptying the cash register of a business)
* Sheriff keepers (instructing the sheriff to spend all day in a debtors
business and seize all money that the business generates)
* Subpoena records from friends, family and other businesses to discover
assets.
* Obtain court orders to force third parties (friends, family, business
associates, etc.) to testify regarding the debtors assets.
* Place liens on business and personal property of the debtor.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: We are not attorneys, cannot give legal advice, and
nothing in this website should be construed as legal advice. If you need
legal advice, please engage Counsel licensed in your state. |
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