Our Attorneys

Frequently Asked Questions

• What areas does Consumer Attorneys work in?

  Based on many years of practice and the extensive legal experience of our lawyers, we provide legal services in these areas: credit reporting errors, consumer finance, disability actions, debt collection, labor disputes, securities, antitrust, ERISA, and personal injury. Our lawyers are always aware of all changes in the international and local legislative system.

• What is credit reporting and how could it affect you?

  You may be entitled to a money award if you have errors on your credit report. If you were denied a credit card or loan because of errors on your credit report, we specialize in correcting these errors and litigating claims under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
  
  Credit reporting agencies sell access to your credit report when you apply for a credit card or a loan, but a significant number of reports contain incomplete, inaccurate, or false information.
  
  A credit report is a statement that has information about your credit activity. It includes your loan paying history and the status of your credit accounts. Lenders use these reports to decide if they grant you a loan and the interest rates they will offer you. Errors occur when a creditor provides inaccurate information, or when a credit reporting agency mixes up the information of individuals.
  
  The Act is designed to protect consumers from the harmful effects of inaccurate information reported in credit reports. In the very first provision of the Act, Congress enshrined the principles of “fair and accurate credit reporting” and the “need to ensure that consumer reporting agencies exercise their grave responsibilities with fairness”.
  
  Consumer Attorneys will inspect your report and determine if the credit reporting agencies and the data providing entities have faithfully reported your credit.

• What are background check errors?

  The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act provides regulations for background information given to employers for people applying for a job, landlords for people applying for an apartment, and any other situations where someone requests a background check.
  
  For example, consumer reporting agencies may violate the Act by wrongfully putting someone’s criminal record on a plaintiff’s record. This would interfere with a party’s employment, ability to take out a loan, or taking out a lease on an apartment.
  
  Consumer Attorneys will evaluate the errors in your consumer report and, if necessary, will proceed in an action to make sure the report is corrected and that you are fully compensated for the mistake.

• What is identity theft?

  The Fair Credit Reporting Act offers protection and recourse for victims of identity theft. The Act’s purpose is to require consumer reporting agencies to “adopt reasonable procedures . . . in a manner which is fair and equitable to the consumer, with regard to the confidentiality, accuracy, relevancy, and proper utilization of [consumer] information.”
  
  For example, an ex-husband may open a credit card in his wife’s name, stealing her identity. If the wife reports the application as false, the credit reporting agency must research the claim. If the claim is valid, the wife’s consumer report must be corrected. Unfortunately, the reports are often not corrected, and the wife will suffer the consequences.
  
  Consumer Attorneys will work with you to correct the errors in your report and obtain compensation for the identity theft.

• When will I be responsible for attorney fees?

  If Consumer Attorneys takes your case, we will handle it on a contingency basis, and you will not pay our fees unless we win your case or settle on your behalf. Our fees will be automatically deducted from your settlement, meaning you will not pay anything out of pocket and no upfront fees are required.

• Does Consumer Attorneys provide free consultations?

  Free consultations are falling out of favor with some law firms, but Consumer Attorneys puts the consumer first. We will put you in touch with an attorney who will discuss your situation with you free of charge to determine whether you have a potential claim for damages.

• Is my free consultation confidential?

  Yes, our free consultations are totally confidential.