I recently wrote about the number of lawsuits Litigation Practice Group recently disclosed.
Along comes a Litigation Practice Group contract, and I thought if I reviewed it, this might help people better understand this agreement and clear up any confusion.
You can see my notes below each page.
- LPG says they will provide you with disputes with listed creditors.
- It appears there is some credit report or credit repair service.
- Prove some legal representation if sued by a creditor.
- Defend the client against collection activity or lawsuits.
- Advise consumers about the advantages of bankruptcy.
- LPG says they will act as your attorney but the contract does not appear to identify the particular attorney in the state the consumer is located in that is representing the consumer.
- Interesting section that says LPG will pull your credit report and deal with unlawful debts but it is not clear how that determination is made and if it is binding without a court action of some sort.
- LPG talks about invalidating debts, but I have yet to see how that is defined to determine if a debt is invalid according to the laws of the state the consumer lives in prior to agreeing to pay.
- LPG talks about invalidating debts or removing legal liability but does not specifically talk about discharging them in bankruptcy. Why not?
- LPG will not charge any additional fee if you are sued after you become a client. The consumer is required to pay any damages resulting from any lawsuit. Not sure what that covers or the potential exposure are.
- LPG is not admitted to practice law everywhere. If you are sued in one of those areas, they will have to find an attorney to represent you.
- It appears that if LPG cannot resolve a debt, they will hand you back the account to deal with and refund a part of the fees designated towards that account.
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- Interesting wording in the debt settlement section. What does “the most favorable settlement” actually mean? Favorable for whom?
- LPG will not settle all debts but only when you are sued or it is contemplated.
- It appears the agreement is written towards attorneys licensed to practice law in California and not other states.
- LPG says they have affiliated attorneys in all 50 states and that you can ask who the attorney is in your state if you want to know.
- LPG does not guarantee debts will be invalidated or settled.
After reading the agreement I have some observations.
All listed debts the consumer may include might not be invalidated or settled. This appears to leave them being removed from the program and left for the consumer to deal with. It is very unclear how much attorney legal work went into qualifying the debts before the consumer signed the agreement.
It does not appear the consumer can confer or discuss their situation with the attorney providing legal representation before the agreement is signed. That’s not clear, but the consumer might want to make sure the attorney representing them and the consumer are on the same page.
Bankruptcy is talked about on the first page but then does not appear to be much consideration for resolving the debt. However, it is often the fastest and least expensive way to eliminate debt legally without a tax liability.
As always, please understand and agree with any agreement from any service provider before signing. It’s always better to ask questions the day before signing than the day after.
Source: getoutofdebt.org