Referring a client to an FCRA attorney is simple: send them to our referral intake form or reach out directly with a brief description of the issue. We'll evaluate the case for free, explain the client's options, and handle everything from there. The client pays nothing out of pocket. FCRA cases are fee-shifted, meaning the defendant pays attorney fees. Your client gets a resolution, and you get credit for helping them find it.
You work in credit repair, mortgage lending, accounting, or financial advising. Your client comes to you with a credit problem. You run the reports, review the history, and realize: this isn't something they can fix on their own. It's not a missing payment they disputed wrong. It's a real error on their report, or a bureau or furnisher that's breaking the law.
Now what?
You could tell them to hire a lawyer. But you don't know what that process looks like, what it costs them, or how long it takes. You wonder if you're sending them down an expensive rabbit hole. Or worse, if they'll forget about the problem and it'll sink their loan, their job, or their credit score.
Here's what actually happens when you refer a client to an FCRA attorney. No mystery. No surprise fees. No wasted time.
How to Make the Referral
The referral itself is simple. You have two options:
Option 1: Send them to our referral intake form. They fill it out, describe their situation, and we take it from there. We'll reach out within one business day.
Option 2: Contact us directly on their behalf. Call, email, or fill out the form yourself with the client's information. Either way works.
When you reach out, include these details:
- Client name and contact info (phone and email)
- Brief description of the issue (example: "Closed account showing as open" or "Inaccurate late payments on credit report")
- How many times they've disputed (Is this their first dispute? Have they already disputed with the bureau and got nowhere?)
- What happened after they disputed (Did the bureau delete it, re-insert it, verify it as accurate? Did the furnisher respond at all?)
That's really all we need to get started. You don't need to dig through their full credit file or map out the entire case. We'll do that.
What the Free Consultation Looks Like
Once we receive the referral, we schedule a free consultation with your client. No obligation. No pressure. No charge.
In that call or meeting, we do four things:
First, we review their credit reports. We pull all three bureaus and look at what's actually being reported. We're looking for patterns, timeline inconsistencies, and flags.
Second, we review their dispute history. Did they send a certified dispute letter? Did the bureau acknowledge it? Did they get a response from the furnisher? We track the entire chain. This matters. A lot.
Third, we identify potential violations. We're checking for FCRA violations like failure to investigate, failure to report the results of investigation, re-insertion without fresh information, or reporting inaccurate information despite knowing it's wrong. This is where the case lives.
Fourth, we explain their options. If we see a potential case, we tell them what it looks like, how long it typically takes, and what the realistic outcomes are. If we don't see a case, we tell them that too. Straight answer. No upsell.
The client leaves that conversation knowing exactly where they stand. And they owe us nothing.
What Happens If We Take the Case
If we decide to take the case (and only if your client wants us to), here's the sequence:
Demand letter. We send a formal demand letter to the credit bureau and/or furnisher. We cite the specific violations, request removal of the inaccurate information, and demand damages. Many cases settle at this stage.
Litigation, if needed. If the bureau or furnisher doesn't respond, we file a lawsuit. We're in federal court, alleging FCRA violations under 15 U.S.C. § 1681n (willful violation) or § 1681o (negligent violation).
Discovery. Both sides exchange documents and take depositions. We're building the record, showing the bureau knew (or should have known) they were reporting false information.
Settlement or trial. Most FCRA cases settle during or after discovery. Defendants know the law and they know what juries award. If we don't settle, we go to trial.
Timeline: Most cases resolve in 6 to 12 months. Some faster if the case is clear-cut. Some longer if the defendant is difficult or the facts are complex. Either way, we keep your client informed every step.
How the Client Pays Nothing
This is the part that matters most to your clients: they don't pay us out of pocket.
FCRA cases are fee-shifted. That means the defendant pays the attorney fees. Statutory law says so.
15 U.S.C. § 1681n (willful violation) and § 1681o (negligent violation) both allow courts to award reasonable attorney fees to the prevailing plaintiff. In practice, that's us. We win or settle, and the defendant (the credit bureau or furnisher) pays our fees as part of the judgment or settlement.
No retainer. Your client doesn't pay us upfront. No money down.
No hourly billing. We're not charging the client by the hour.
No out-of-pocket costs. The defendant covers the cost of litigation, including court fees, deposition costs, and discovery expenses.
Your client recovers damages. If we win or settle, your client may receive statutory damages (between $100 and $1,000 per violation under § 1681n, or actual damages under § 1681o), plus attorney fees, plus court costs. That money goes to your client. They don't split it with us or pay us back.
This is not a bet-on-yourself model where the client hopes we win. This is us saying: we believe in this case enough to fund it ourselves, and we'll get paid when the defendant loses or settles.
Why This Makes You Look Good
When you refer a client to an FCRA attorney, three things happen that matter to your business:
You solved a problem the client couldn't solve alone. They came to you stuck. Their credit report had an error. They disputed it themselves and got nowhere. You recognized the ceiling of what you could do, and you connected them with someone who could actually fix it. That's professionalism. That's going above and beyond.
The client remembers who helped them. Years from now, when they need to refinance their home, start a business, or work with a tax advisor, they remember the person who solved their credit problem. They come back to you first. They refer others to you. They trust you because you didn't just identify the problem, you solved it.
You built trust by staying in your lane. You didn't pretend to be a lawyer. You didn't try to litigate a case yourself. You did what you do best, and you knew when to hand off. That's exactly how professional relationships work. Clients respect professionals who know their boundaries.
The client actually gets a real resolution. This matters most. They don't get a form letter response from the bureau. They don't spend thousands on credit repair that doesn't work. They get a lawsuit, a settlement, or a judgment. They get their credit cleaned up. They get damages. When that happens, they don't forget who sent them. And they come back.
That's how referral relationships work. You send us a client. We solve their problem. The client gets better. You look good. Everyone wins.
