Trusted New Orleans Collection Lawyers:

Bowes, Petkovich & Palmer, LLC is a leader in legal collections in the state of Louisiana.  Our New Orleans collection lawyers handle many different types of collection accounts for many national, regional, and local creditors.  Our creditors’ rights team has developed an expertise in asset location, skip tracing, litigation, and post-judgment collections.

Types of Accounts that Our Collection Lawyers Handle:

Consumer Collections:

Our New Orleans collection lawyers routinely collect and file suit for delinquent credit cards, personal loans, auto loans, boat loans, RV loans, payday loans, lines of credit, and over-drafted bank accounts.  We represent many lenders including credit card companies, finance companies, banks, and credit unions.  Our firm provides efficient legal representation that ensures our clients receive the money they are owed.

Commercial Collections:

When companies enter into agreements to provide products or services to other entities, they expect to be paid in a timely fashion.  Unfortunately, that is not always the case.  Companies do not always live up to their contractual obligations.  If your company holds unpaid invoices, delinquent open accounts, or a defaulted lease agreement, it is in your best interest to talk to a New Orleans collection lawyer about your options.  Our expert team of commercial collection attorneys are skilled at helping parties collect overdue debts.  We regularly represent businesses and commercial lenders in the New Orleans area and throughout Louisiana.

Foreign Judgments:

Our New Orleans collection attorneys regularly collect out-of-state judgments for other law firms and creditors who hold judgments from another state.  A judgment in one state is virtually uncollectible if the debtor lives and works in another state.  The situation arises often after a debtor moves or when a company does business in another state and fails to pay its debt there.  When a debtor or assets are discovered in Louisiana, our collection attorneys can help make your foreign judgment executory in Louisiana.  Once the judgment is domesticated, our collection lawyers can employ our normal collection methods to collect your judgment.

Deficiency Judgments:

A deficiency judgment can be pursued if there is still a balance owed after a defaulted loan is credited with the net sale proceeds of a repossession or foreclosure.  Our New Orleans collection lawyers regularly file suit for deficiency balances on behalf of our clients.  We do this after our office handles a repossession or foreclosure, and we also pursue deficiency balances for clients who exercise self-help repossessions.  When we obtain a judgment, it is called a deficiency judgment.

Past Due Rent:

Our New Orleans collection lawyers also collect past due rent on behalf of our many landlord clients.  It is common for tenants to stop paying rent for months leading up to an eviction.  In fact, unpaid rent is the most common reason for evictions.  Often, the deposit is not enough to cover all of the unpaid rent.  This leads to the need to file a suit to collect the past due rent. 

FDCPA Compliance:

Our office takes the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) very seriously.  We go through great lengths to ensure compliance.  It is important to note that FDCPA rules only apply to personal or consumer debts.  It does not yet apply to business or commercial loans.

Collection Methods of our New Orleans Collection Lawyers:

Liens:

One of the first actions our New Orleans collection lawyers take after obtaining a judgment is recording that judgment in each parish in which the debtor owns immovable property.  The recordation acts as a judicial mortgage on that property.  This leads to the debt being paid in full if the debtor ever sells or refinances.

Wage Garnishments:

The second action our New Orleans collection lawyers take is to try to verify employment.  We do this with information provided by the client at referral and we also employ the services of multiple vendors who specialize in locating assets including employment.  Once a job is verified, we can file a wage garnishment to collect up to 25% of the debtor’s net income.

Bank Garnishments:

If we are able to verify where a debtor banks, our New Orleans collection lawyers can garnish the bank account.  This is a one-time seizure in which the bank must freeze all funds held on deposit on the day the bank is served, up to the judgment balance.  Additional garnishments may be filed later though.  This method can be very effective around tax season when debtors are likely to receive large refunds.  This is also a highly effective collection method for commercial collections because businesses often carry a significant balance in their operating accounts.  Further, there is usually a record of which bank the company previously wrote its checks from.

Asset Seizure:

Our New Orleans collection attorneys can also seize assets through a writ of fieri facias.  This is most commonly done for car loans in which the promissory note was signed in another state and lacks the necessary language to file an executory proceeding.  In that case, our collection attorneys would file an ordinary lawsuit, obtain a money judgment, and then seize and sell the automobile.

Payment Plans:

Our New Orleans collection lawyers are always willing to negotiate with debtors first.  We practice with compassion and try to be understanding of individual financial situations.  Entering long-term payment plans is a staple of the collection process.

Judgment Debtor Rules:

When all else fails and assets or employment cannot be verified, our New Orleans collection lawyers can rule a debtor into court to be examined under oath as to their ability to pay the debt.  If the debtor is served personally and fail to appear, they can be held in contempt of court and a bench warrant issued for their arrest.  The judge will often also set a cash bond, meaning the debtor will be required to pay a certain amount towards the debt in order to be released.

Louisiana Collection Lawyers:

We are a Gretna law firm that has served the New Orleans area since 1980.  Our experienced creditors’ rights lawyers are well versed at collecting consumer and commercial debt throughout Louisiana.  We proudly represent for many local, regional, and national creditors.  We take pride in offering a personal and trusted experience.  Call us today for a free consultation and find out why so many of our clients come back to us.