This page will be dedicated to those in the Judgment Recovery industry.  I hope to get some articles from professionals who are directly in the Judgment Recovery Industry.  Hopefully, this page will help people who have been awarded judgments and those who are ordered to pay judgments.

 Tracy Collins

The following article was submitted by:

Alan Salls of Tvalley

“So you have a court judgment, now what?” 

Statistics show that almost 80% of all judicial judgments are never enforced. Judgments are awarded by the court system, but unfortunately the system then leaves the responsibility of enforcement or collection of the judgment to the judgment creditor.  Collecting a judgment is not always an easy matter, and frequently requires more experience with the court system and knowledge of the law than it did to obtain the actual judgment.   

Judgment Recovery Specialists (often known as JRS’s) collect unsatisfied civil judgments, family law orders, and criminal restitution awards. Most JRS’s  purchase judgments on a future pay basis, and collect them on their own behalf.  Some will also buy your judgment from you for cash on the spot.  Be aware, however, that the going rate to purchase a judgment outright is frequently about three to five cents on the dollar, so don’t expect to get much for a judgment if you want to sell it for immediate cash.  More return can usually be made by going with the “future pay” method of assignment; the disadvantage being that you don’t get your money right away.   

If a JRS is highly experienced (and lucky!) he may be able to collect a judgment in 90 to 120 days.  More than likely, however, a more difficult judgment will take years to collect.  The JRS will normally advance all the costs associated with the collection, since he is working on his own behalf, so nothing will come out of your pocket at all.   Some of the methods used by JRS’s to collect judgments include garnishing wages, levying on bank accounts, subpoenaing the debtor and other parties to court with financial records to see “what he really has”, placing liens on or foreclosing on real and personal property, and seizing other assets as necessary.  

Some JRS’s are also licensed private investigators, and can legally offer services such as locating your judgment debtor and his assets for you, should you wish to attempt to collect your judgment yourself.  An hourly rate is typically charged for these type services. 

Another option available to judgment creditors is to use an attorney to collect your judgment.  Attorneys who specialize in collections are frequently very successful, but be prepared to pay a fee of between $100 and $350 per hour for the attorneys services, whether he is successful or not. 

Last not but certainly not least, be aware that not all judgments are collectible – by anyone.  Some debtors are true deadbeats who have never had any assets and very well may never have any in the future.  In the judgment collection arena, as anywhere else, “you can’t get blood out of a turnip!”