Florida Collection Attorney To Run New York City Marathon
Florida collection attorney Stephen Gebeloff will be running the New York City Marathon on November 4, 2018. The Boca Raton, Florida debt collection attorney maintains a commercial debt recovery law firm – The Gebeloff Law Group. Mr. Gebeloff has been a collection lawyer for many years and when he is not representing his clients collecting account receivable, he often gives advise to other Florida lawyers looking for advice on advanced debt collection strategies and techniques to help clients recover more of their delinquent debt.
Florida Collection Attorney – NYC Marathon 2014
Florida Debt Collection Law Firm
Florida collection attorney Gebeloff will be running the marathon for the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation and welcomes sponsors for this charitable cause. The Gebeloff Law Group gives to many charitable organizations throughout the year. However, our Florida collection attorney also believes that by actively participating in charitable endurance race events, not only is our collection lawyer helping a charitable cause, but also keeps him physically and mentally fit. As our Florida debt collection clients can attest, there are many businesses out there that are not paying their past due invoices and/or are simply stealing product – without the intent of ever paying for the product or services.
Debt Collection Law Firm In Florida
Collecting debt in Florida can sometimes feel like a marathon to our Florida debt recovery clients. A smart debtor can slow down the debt collection process. The Florida Court System, if put into the hands of an attorney defending a non-paying customer, can drag out the debt collection process for extended periods of time.
Debt Collection Attorneys
Please feel free to call our NYC Marathon – Florida Debt Collection Attorney, Steve Gebeloff. Working with your company, our Florid Debt Collection Law Firm would be happy to assist devising a debt collection strategy that is just right for you.
Florida Debt Collection Law Firm Helps Collect Money
Our Florida collection attorney receives several e-mails and phone calls a week from potential clients who are looking for a law firm in Florida that can help them collect money. Sometimes the nature of the debt collection matter is money loaned pursuant to a promissory note, money owed for goods or services provided or many people call our debt collection law firm for advice on how to collect on a Florida judgment. Our Florida collection lawyer recognizes that no two debt recovery matters are exactly the same and looks for different solutions for each of the law firm’s clients who call seeking help with collecting their money.
Florida Debt Collection Law Firm
Collecting money is not easy is Florida. Florida is a very debtor friendly state that offers debtors many exemptions from levy and garnishment. It is important that you speak to a lawyer in a Florida debt collection law firm to explore your options when attempting to collect money from your customer. Our Florida collection attorney will be able to discuss how our Florida debt collection law firm can implement several different debt collection strategies that may be able to impose personal liability on the officers and directors of companies if there is fraudulent activity.
Florida Collection Lawyer Can Help Your Company Collect Account Receivable
Our collection attorney will speak to you about helping your company establish a more effective credit and collection strategy. It is important for your company to stay on top of its account receivable early on. Our collection attorney will speak to you about your company’s internal debt collection procedures to help your company collect more of its money. Feel free to discuss with our Florida collection attorney how our debt collection law firm can help your company be more successful in collecting outstanding invoices.
Collecting Debt in Florida – What is the Statute of Limitations
Statute of limitations on debt collection cases in Florida are five years for written contracts and four years for oral contracts. Many collection cases presented to our Florida debt collection law firm relate to goods sold and services delivered. When an account receivable is placed for collection relating to goods sold and delivered the statute of limitations is four years. Our debt collection attorney will confirm to you that when attempting collection of account receivable, the earlier you place your claim with our Florida debt collection law firm or with a commercial collection agency for that matter, the odds of being able to collect your money increase.
Call Our Florida Debt Collection Attorney
Our Florida collection law firm hands commercial collection accounts. Our Florida collection lawyer will send a written demand letter to your customer demanding payment for the products your company has delivered for their services your company has provided but has not been paid. If the demand letter from the collection attorney does not secure payment of the account, our collection law firm would then be able to bring a law suit to collect the past due account. A collection agency is not licensed to practice debt collection law and therefore must send the account to a Florida collection attorney, if the collection agency is unable to collect the past due receivable.
Florida Collection Attorney and Florida Debt Collection Law Firm
We welcome your company calling our debt collection law firm. Ask to speak to our Florida collection attorney about different collection strategies that might be just right for your company. When you work with our Florida collection law firm and collection lawyer, you will be assured that an effective debt collection strategy will be implemented to help maximize your recovery of past due Florida account receivable.
As the economy continues to struggle, our debt collection attorneys continue to contact businesses attempting to collect money on past due accounts. Our collection lawyers are finding many honest business owners admitting to owing the debt, but because of their own personal cash flow struggles are not able to pay the debt in a lump sum payment. Our debt collection law firm is entering into many debt repayment plans. Creditors should keep in mind that until a matter is in in suit, there is no real teeth in the debt repayment plan. Many times, our collection attorney will recommend starting suit to recover money and then enter into a repayment plan secured by a court order.
Florida Collection Attorney Gebeloff
Collection agencies are unable to start suit to collect money. A collection agency is not licensed to practice debt collection law. Collection agencies send out a series of collection letters and then attempt to collect money by making repeated phone calls. Many times a collection agency will try to collect the account for an extended period of time when in reality a debt collection attorney will be more effective. The debt collection law firm is able to file a lawsuit to collect past due accounts. The collection lawyer will then be able to either settle the account or secure a judgment for the amount that is owed.
Use a Florida Collection Attorney to Collect Money
Once judgment is entered, there are many different post judgment options that our collection attorney will discuss with you. Simply a collection agency is limited in what it can do to collect money. Collection agencies do have their purpose, but creditors typically find that placing an account for collection with a collection attorney has many advantages over placing an account for collection with a commercial collection agency.
Hurricane Irma has brought the Florida economy to a halt. Pretty much the only businesses working at the moment are those working to clean up the debris, tree removal companies and restoration services for properties affected by the hurricane. Whether businesses can’t get employees into work, the office is damaged or no one will be wanting to purchase their products, a lot of businesses are stuck in the mud. The strain on small businesses may make it harder for your company to collect money from customers to whom you have extended credit. Hurricane Irma has caused many businesses to board up and close. This will obviously have an economic impact on everyone and may make it more difficult for your customer to make payments that are due because of cash flow issues. Once the storm clears, and things get back to ” business as usual” in Florida, it is important for your business to stay on top of their collection accounts.
Collection Attorney – Debt Collection Law Firm
Our debt collection law firm is sympathetic to cash flow problems that small businesses and persons may encounter. However, unless you stay on top of collecting money owed to your company, the company’s account receivable may end up on the bottom of the stack of invoices your customer must pay. Our collection attorney will make demand for payment and stress the urgency that your customer make payment arrangements to pay the debt owed to your company. We understand they may be waiting for a payout from their business or house insurance in light of the disaster (click for more info here) and we can discuss an arrangement to work around this. If payment arrangements are not made, our debt collection law firm will recommend that a suit be started to collect the money.
Call Our Debt Collection Law Firm
Once a lawsuit is commenced to collect the money owed to your company, if your customer is serious about paying the past due invoices, a payment schedule can be set up. The payment schedule would be filed with the court. If the customer missed a payment, your company would be able to secure a judgment for the amount owed to your company. Litigation does not always secure payment of money owed to your company. However, once suit is filed your customer should feel the urgency to get the debt owed to your company resolved.
Speak to a Collection Attorney
Call our debt collection law firm and ask to speak to our collection attorney. Together we will devise a collection strategy that is just right for you.
Collecting on Past Due Accounts Using a Collection Agency or Debt Collection Law Firm
For small business owners, collecting on past due accounts from your company’s customers is time consuming and keeps you from focusing on your company’s core business. Because of that, many businesses turn to commercial collection agencies and or debt collection law firms to assist with debt collection efforts. A collection agency can offer some value for those companies that have many small balance accounts that need to be sent to outside collection. However, as we have previously talked about in previous articles is the fact that collection agencies are not licensed to practice law. A collection agency must send accounts to collection attorneys and debt collection law firms for further debt collection efforts once it is determined that the collection agency will be unable to collect on the past due debt. In doing so the collection agency raises its contingent collection fee.
Collection Law Firm
Collection Agencies Can Serve a Limited Purpose
Debt collection law firms send out demand letters as well as make debt collection calls to your customers just as a commercial collection agency would do. However, a major distinction between a collection agency and a debt collection law firm is that the demand for payment of your company’s past due accounts will come from a collection lawyer. Receiving a demand letter for payment from a collection attorney lets your customer know that your company is prepared to take your customer to court if an amicable resolution to the past due account cannot be reached. In addition, your company will not have to pay an inflated contingency fee by sending accounts directly to a collection law firm as your company will not have to pay the collection agency an extra fee for simply sending the past due account to a collection law firm.
Call to Speak to Our Collection Attorney
We invite you to contact our debt collection law firm and speak to our collection attorney. Together we would devise a debt collection strategy that was just right for your company. We would be happy to go into more detail about the differences between your company using a debt collection law firm rather than a commercial collection agency.
December is the time of year many businesses take a pause to self asses the year their business had. Many small businesses struggle with cash flow. Companies that have outstanding account receivable often do not have a system in place to pursue bad debt / past due accounts. Our debt recovery law firm has put together a free -E-book to assist companies with their debt collection policies and procedures. Inside the book our collection attorney provides some strategies that may assist a company sharpen up their internal debt collection procedures.
Collection Attorney Stephen B. Gebeloff
If a business has done everything they believe was possible to collect past due accounts, they often may start to consider sending the account to a collection agency. Collection agencies may be an effect tool for debt recovery, but we have discussed the differences between a collection agency, collection attorneys, and debt collection law firms. A collection agency is not licensed to practice debt collection law. Collection agencies typically send accounts to collection attorneys throughout the United States. To send collection accounts to collection lawyers a collection agency must typically charge a higher contingency fee. The reason is that the collection agency is simply acting as a middleman.
Collection Agencies and Debt Recovery Law Firms Are Not The Same When It Comes To Collecting Past Due Accounts
Most commercial collection law firms can provide the same services that a collection agency can, but as stated above, because collection agencies are not collection attorneys, a debt recovery law firm can be a lot more powerful way to attempt the collection of your company’s overdue accounts. A letter and phone call from a collection attorney lets your customer know that your company is serious in pursuing the collection of the past due account.
There are many variants to being able to collect a past due account. Our debt collection law firm believes that before a lot of money is spent on contingent collection fees, a flat fee alternative should be considered. To learn more about flat fee debt collection attorney fee programs our commercial collection law firm provides, we encourage you to contact one of our debt recovery law firm and ask to speak to someone from our debt collection and recovery team. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
Collection Agency Litigation Departments Forward Claims from their Collection Agencies
A collection agency is not licensed to practice debt collection law. Collection agencies set up departments in their collection agency to forward accounts for collection of past due account receivables to commercial collection attorneys. Our debt collection firm has established a division that gives credit managers the opportunity to forego using a collection agency and send their accounts for collection directly to our commercial debt collection law firm.
Debt Collection Law Firm
AttorneyDemandLetters.com May Save You Money When You Use An Attorney Debt Collection Service Instead of a Commercial Collection Agency
AttorneyDemandLetters.com was established to offer credit managers a low cost solution to paying high collection agency contingent fees. Just like collection agencies our collection lawyers will draft a demand letter for payment. In addition, we offer an attorney telephone demand service to let your customers know that your company is serious about collection past due accounts that are due. Collection agencies typicaly charge between thirty – forty percentage contingency fees. With our flat fee service, you may save thousands of dollars using this debt collection service instead of utilizing a collection agency.
Collection Agencies May Not Be As Effective
Once your customer sees that you have retained a law firm to assist your company collect past due debt, the debtor will know that if arrangements are not made with your company for payment, litigation may be imminent. Today, most debtors recognize that a collection agency cannot bring suit. Collection agencies rely on commercial collection attorneys to bring suit on behalf of their collection agency clients. The collection agency in effect is acting as a middleman. As a result, you end up paying a higher contingent fee. By cutting out the collection agency you are eliminating the middle man and will save on contingency fees.
Taking the Debt Collection Case to Trial with a Collection Attorney
If the collection case has gone as far as trial, it is important to be prepared to provide the proper witnesses and be able to produce key pieces of evidence to prove your case. In collection cases to it is important to provide the witness who can testify that they are familiar with company’s books and records and that those records are usually kept in their custody and control. In other words, the sales representative for your company typically is not charged with the financial aspects of the company and someone who ordinarily would track the books and records of the company. Courts adhere to rules of evidence and may not allow a sales representative to testify as to the account statement or invoices. It is important that you speak with the collection attorney in advance to make sure your company will be able to produce the proper personnel at trial. If not, you may wish to discuss the possibility of settling your collection case prior to the court date.
Collection Attorney Stephen B. Gebeloff
It is important to tell your collection attorney about third parties who may have knowledge about the case. Those parties may be subpoenaed to appear for deposition prior to trial to ascertain their knowledge about the case and or to provide relevant documents. If necessary these same parties may be subpoenaed to appear at trial to testify.
Besides witnesses, it is important to provide your collection lawyer with all the documents surrounding the case, including, but not limited to, contracts, statements, invoices, emails or any other documentation from any third party or the debtor relating to the case. Working with your collection attorney, together you will decide which documents will be offered to the court as evidence.
During the collection trial both your company and the debtor will be able to offer witnesses and other evidence for the court to consider. After all the evidence has been presented the Court will make a decision. If all goes well a Judgment will be awarded to your company. Unfortunately, obtaining a judgment does not obligate a debtor to pay the judgment. However, using a collection law firm to enforce the judgment will be the best way to ensure that if there are assets available to satisfy the judgment either through the debtor’s voluntary payment(s) or seizing assets using writs of execution your company will recover some or all of the Judgment.
Our debt collection clients have been asking our debt collection law firm questions about collecting their past due accounts. There are common patterns in the debt collection cycle. We decided to begin putting together an e-book on debt collection to try and help our clients maximize their recovery of account receivables. The debt collection book will discuss internal company credit and collection policy and procedures as well as what to expect when an account is turned over to a debt collection attorney. Below are several paragraphs from the book. As we progress with written the book, we will post excerpts as they become available.
Consistent Company Credit and Collection Policies
The name of the game in any business whether it be large or small is cash flow. Without cash flow most businesses, unless they huge reserves set aside struggle. Being consistent with your companies credit and collection practices is essential to keeping the money earned from services your company has rendered or has invoiced for the product your company has provided.
It is important all the personal in your company are made aware of your company’s credit and collection policies. Customer retention should be the goal. However, there will become a time in any business where a debt becomes past due. At some point your company has to start to make a decision, is the customer having a temporary cash flow issue that a simple phone call may determine or is it becoming apparent that the customer no longer has the ability to pay or does has the ability to pay but, simply is ignoring demand for payment.
When it is apparent to your company that an acceptable repayment plan will not be established, the debtor simply will not pay or the debtor is in the process of liquidating, it is time for your company to get third party help to help collect the money that is due to your company for services rendered and/or goods sold and delivered.
The Importance of the Credit Application
The Credit Application is very often overlooked by many companies. Our debt collection law firm cannot stress the importance of having your customer provide complete and accurate information on the application. From this document you can gain insight on how creditworthy your customer is. The customer may not always be truthful about its financial status but, from a credit and collection standpoint what our collection law firm is looking for, if the account becomes delinquent, is there a valid address to serve the summons and complaint and to see if a legal entity is even identified.
Too many times we see our clients invoicing a company that does not even legally exist. You can verify the corporate charter of any business by going to the Department of State, Division of Corporations Website, in the State that your customer claims it is incorporated.
Debt collection law firm
The credit application should have a paragraph added to allow for the recovery of costs and collection fees in the event your company has to retain a debt collection law firm to assist with the recovery of an account receivable. Unless specifically stated in the credit application or allowed by state statute, recovering your costs and attorneys’ fees, if you do have to take a case to court. varies from State to State. In Florida, if the credit application, contract or a Florida Statute does not specify entitlement to attorneys’ fees, each party to the lawsuit would be responsible for paying their own costs and attorneys’ fees. For this reason we advise all of our clients to include a paragraph substantially similar to: “In the event (name of your company) has to pursue collection on past due invoices for services rendered and/or goods sold and delivered, (name of your company) shall be entitled to recover its costs of collection, court costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees.”
Personal Guarantee paragraphs should be added to the credit application. With so many businesses open today and closed tomorrow a personal guarantee will ensure there is still someone to pursue if your customer goes out of business and there are still past due invoices that due to your company. However, keep in mind, a personal guarantee is only as good as the individual guaranteeing the obligation. There are some customers whose officers will refuse to sign a personal guarantee. A business decision needs to be made whether or not to extend credit to. If your company is willing to take a risk by extending credit to a newly formed business do so with open eyes.
In sum, your company needs to make decisions on who to grant credit to. Use the information obtained in the credit application to make a prudent decision. But, perhaps if an officer is unwilling to sign a personal guarantee that should be a red flag that the officer of the company is not willing to personally back the obligation.
( C) Copyright, Stephen B. Gebeloff, P.A. June 2015
