I was Served with Summons, What Should I Do?
Fight it! And win! The Law Office of Ian Chowdhury has in-depth experience in defending consumers against debt collection cases. With help, you may be able to fend off the lawsuit entirely, or settle the case with a surprisingly small payment... even if you initially think that you have no defense! You may even be able to turn the tables by suing the debt collector for unfair collection practices.

Ian Chowdhury understands the financial difficulties of people seeking this type of service, and has made his services especially affordable for debt collection defense cases. Typically, the entire case will cost you only about a thousand dollars in attorney's fees. Additionally, costs, such as the filing cost charged by the court, might amount to about another three hundred dollars. Of course some cases are more novel and complex (and therefore more expensive) than others, so exact fee and cost structures cannot be provided here. If you are truly broke, sometimes an even more economical arrangement can be worked out (see below). Rest assured, you will be told exactly what to expect in terms of fees and costs before agreeing to representation. You will never receive an unwelcome surprise on a bill from the Law Office of Ian Chowdhury. Paying in installments is sometimes possible, and so is payment by credit card. On the other hand, chosing not to be represented generally turns out to be a very expensive mistake!

To inquire about being represented, simply fill out the form on our Contact page. as completely as possible. Ian Chowdhury will personally respond to your inquiry ASAP -- usually the same day -- to sort through the details (don't worry, there is no charge for this initial consultation).

Can't I Ignore the Problem (Like I've been doing for Months)?
Now that you have been served with a summons, the game has changed. You can no longer ignore this problem, because that would allow the debt collector to very quickly obtain an automatic judgment against you (called a default judgment). The debt collector wants you to ignore the summons because then you'll get hit with a default judgment! Once the court issues a default judgment, there are various ways that the debt collector can simply take the money from you without your consent. For example, they can levy your bank account -- meaning that they can take the money directly from your account. They can garnish your wages if you have a job. They can put a lien on your house. Waiting and ignoring worked for a while, no doubt. But now that you have been sued, failing to respond quickly and properly would be a very costly mistake.

What if I Can't Afford an Attorney?
Many people being sued by debt collectors and banks have this exact concern! After all, if you could afford to have an attorney at your beck and call, you wouldn't be in this mess.

First let's clear up an error that many people make when thinking about this. By hiring an attorney, the odds are that you will spend less -- much less -- than what you would pay if you did not hire an attorney. Well represented consumers (such as those represented by the Law Office of Ian Chowdhury) often end up paying the debt collector either nothing at all, or only a fraction of the amount originally claimed. So, look at it this way: If you can't afford to pay the debt collector, then you can't afford not to hire an attorney. Naturally, there are no guarantees in litigation, and results vary, etc., etc.. But the bottom line is, that the Law Office of Ian Chowdhury has saved many, many thousands of dollars for its clients facing debt collection lawsuits. It is as if hiring an attorney costs you negative money. It is as if someone asked you "would you rather pay ten-thousand dollars or one-thousand dollars?" You get the idea.

Apart from all this, you may be interested to know, that if you are really, truly broke -- so that you qualify under the court's criteria for a waiver of all court filing fees -- then you may also qualify for reduced price legal representation. A case that may otherwise cost you around one thousand dollars in attorney's fees, might cost you as little as three hundred fifty dollars in fees. Any such discount must be discussed with and approved in advance.

And, of course, you can pay with a credit card, or with your PayPal account.

But What if I Really Owe the Money?
First of all, don't be so sure that you "really" owe the money to the company that is suing you. If y ou are being sued by anyone other than the original creditor, there is a good chance that the entity suing you does not even own the acount. There are companies called "debt buyers" who claim to have purchased old defaulted credit card accounts, which they then sue on. Often these companies cannot prove their ownership of the account. Indeed, sometimes people are approached by more than one such company, both claiming to own the same account!

Additionally, even if the case looks hopeless to you, it probably isn't. If nothing else, a settlement might be obtained that is far more favorable than what you could have obtained without an attorney. Consumers who do not hire a good attorney end up paying unjustifiable and excessive late fees and over-limit fees. Unrepresented consumers settle on completely unreasonable terms. Unrepresented consumers have their wages garnished and their bank accounts levied (emptied) by debt collectors. The fact that you fell upon hard times and had to feed yourself and your family instead of making credit card payments, does not mean debt collectors have the right to bleed you dry. Especially when you can avoid such a result by hiring an attorney.

What If I Pay an Attorney, and Lose the Case Anyway?
It is possible to lose a case. However, the vast majority of the time, consumers represented by Ian Chowdhury obtain extremely favorable results. Few if any attorneys have had better success in defending consumers against debt collectors. Even if you do lose, you are better off for having hired an attorney and joined the battle, for several reasons. For one thing, by engaging in the case, you have probably bought yourself about a year of time. Although it is improper to engage in litigation solely for the purpose of delay, it is a simple fact that you have a right to demand the other side to prove their case, and often a contested case takes a year or more to result in a judgment, and this extra time can truly be a life saver for many people. For another thing, even after losing a case, an attorney can often negotiate a settlement with the other side that is better than what the consumer would have gotten by themself. Finally, in a limited jurisdiction case (under $25,000), the court can entertain a consumer's request to allow a "payment plan" in satisfaction of the judgment, that would preclude the debt collector from using other more coercive methods of judgment enforcement.

So I'll Contact You; Meanwhile, Can You Give Me any Useful Info.?
When standing up to debt collectors, your best weapons are good information, and a competent attorney. In terms of information, read the pointers below. As for hiring a top notch California attorney, few if any attorneys have had better success in defending consumers against debt collectors. With the Law Office of Ian Chowdhury on your side, you also have the bonus of knowning that, if appropriate in your situation, you can quickly shift gears, and file bankruptcy, if necessary. Meanwhile, the information below may address some of your concerns. The information here is not necessarily intended to apply to any particular debt collector, and not all collectors use the methods described below -- but it's best to be prepared:

Collection Phone Calls

Collection Letters

The Lawsuit

Wage Garnishment

Working With the Debt Collector

Contact the Law Office of Ian Chowdhury for details.