A NY judge has determined that a law firm can violate the FDCPA (Fair Debt Collections Practices Act) by not having an attorney “meaningfully review” a file. The judge determined that a jury could conclude that the firm did not review the file properly before sending a letter to the debtor.
This is an interesting case. If you receive a letter from a law firm instead of a collection agency, do not assume that the FDCPA does not apply. Contact an attorney and show them the letter. Let them then decide if there may be violations of the FDCPA (or of State law as well).