A credit repair lawyer, in the sense most people mean it, is a lawyer who can get errors off a credit report. That is work we do, under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). It is not the same thing as a credit repair company. We are a law firm: we help you dispute errors, and when a credit bureau or the company that reported the information does not fix an error, we sue under the FCRA. The FCRA makes the company that broke the law pay the consumer’s attorney’s fees (15 U.S.C. §§ 1681n, 1681o). That is why our case review is free and you pay nothing unless we win.
What a lawyer can do that a credit repair company cannot
- Sue. When a credit bureau keeps an error after your dispute, the FCRA gives you a claim against it (15 U.S.C. § 1681i). When the company that reported the information verifies it without a reasonable investigation, you have a claim against that company too (§ 1681s-2(b)).
- Recover damages. The FCRA allows actual damages, statutory and punitive damages if the violation was willful, and attorney’s fees and costs (§§ 1681n, 1681o).
- Build the record. A claim usually turns on what you disputed, when you disputed it, and what the company did after it received the dispute. We help you make that record from the start.
What no one can do
No one can lawfully remove accurate, current negative information from your credit report. The Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau both say so, and both warn that a company promising otherwise is probably running a scam. Most accurate negative information can be reported for seven years, and a bankruptcy for up to ten (15 U.S.C. § 1681c). If the information on your report is accurate, the answer is time, not a lawyer.
Credit repair companies and the law
Credit repair companies are regulated by the Credit Repair Organizations Act. It bars them from charging you before the services they agreed to perform are fully performed (15 U.S.C. § 1679b(b)), and it requires a written contract that tells you about your right to cancel within three business days. Disputing an error with a credit bureau is free, and you can do it yourself; our sample credit dispute letter shows how.
When to call us
Call when the problem is an error, not accurate information, and the error survived your dispute:
- an account that is not yours, including one opened through identity theft;
- a debt shown as unpaid after you paid it, or after it was discharged in bankruptcy;
- another person’s information mixed into your file;
- a dispute that came back “verified” with nothing changed.
Our credit report lawyer page explains how these cases work, and a credit dispute lawyer can review a dispute that failed. For the errors we see most often, see credit report errors.
What it costs
Our review is free. If we take your case, the FCRA lets us seek our fees from the company that violated it (15 U.S.C. §§ 1681n(a)(3), 1681o(a)(2)), and you pay nothing unless we win.
Where we practice
The Kim Law Firm, LLC is based in Philadelphia. Admitted in Pennsylvania and New Jersey; available to appear pro hac vice in other federal courts.
Common questions
Can I pay a lawyer to fix my credit?
You can hire a lawyer to fix errors on your credit report, but no lawyer can remove accurate, current information. If a credit bureau or a lender kept an error after your dispute, an FCRA lawyer can bring a claim, and the company that broke the law pays the attorney’s fees (15 U.S.C. §§ 1681n, 1681o). With us, you pay nothing unless we win.
How much does a credit repair lawyer cost?
For an FCRA claim over a credit report error, our review is free and you pay nothing unless we win. The FCRA makes the company that violated it pay the consumer’s reasonable attorney’s fees and costs (15 U.S.C. §§ 1681n(a)(3), 1681o(a)(2)).
Is paying for credit repair legal?
Yes, but federal law limits it. Under the Credit Repair Organizations Act, a credit repair company may not charge you before it has fully performed the services it agreed to perform (15 U.S.C. § 1679b(b)), and it must give you a written contract that explains your right to cancel within three business days. Disputing errors yourself is free.
Are credit lawyers worth it?
When an error cost you something and the company did not fix it after your dispute, an FCRA claim can recover damages, and the company pays the attorney’s fees. When the information is accurate, no lawyer or company can lawfully remove it.
Lawyer responsible for this page: Richard H. Kim, Esq., The Kim Law Firm, LLC, Philadelphia.