This whole site keeps telling you to talk to a lawyer. This page is the how. Nobody pays us to be on it.
A lawyer for a debt case can end up costing you nothing. The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lets a consumer who wins recover their attorney's fees from the collector. That fee-shifting is why a lot of consumer attorneys will look at a debt collection case for free, and why some will take one on with no fee to you at all: if the collector broke the rules, the collector pays the lawyer.
So it is worth a free consultation even if you are certain you cannot afford one. Things that make an attorney more interested:
Florida has a network of non-profit legal aid organizations, each covering a set of counties. They are free if you qualify, and the limits are based on household income. Pick your county:
We checked what each one publishes about its own work and tagged them, because a free phone call is still twenty minutes of your day. Names debt collection defense is the one to start with where you have it.
All 22 Florida legal aid organizations we have listed, largest service area first, with the counties each one covers.
Counties: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Nassau, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union
866-356-8371Counties: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Nassau, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union
866-256-8091Counties: Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Wakulla, Walton, Washington
850-385-9007Counties: Charlotte, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Indian River, Lee, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, Polk, St. Lucie
888-582-3410Formerly Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida. The old clsmf.org address now redirects here. Consumer and debt matters are among its listed practice areas. Counties: Brevard, Citrus, Flagler, Hernando, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Putnam, Seminole, Sumter, Volusia
800-405-1417Counties: Charlotte, DeSoto, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pinellas, Sarasota
800-230-5920Counties: Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota
800-625-2257Its published work is family law and immigration, with priority to survivors of domestic violence and violent crime. A debt case is unlikely to fit. For Polk, Hardee and Highlands, Florida Rural Legal Services is the one to try for debt. Counties: Hardee, Highlands, Polk
863-519-5663Its own site lists Broward and Collier, which is wider than this directory first had it. Consumer matters sit under its Economic Advocacy work. You can apply online at any hour rather than going in. Counties: Broward, Collier
954-736-2400Formerly Northwest Florida Legal Services. Its consumer page names debt collections and garnishment actions, for advice. It describes its area only as northwest Florida rather than listing counties, so the county placement here comes from the Bar's directory. Counties: Escambia, Santa Rosa
850-432-2336Shares an intake line with Bay Area Legal Services. Practice areas are not published in detail, so ask about debt work on the call. Counties: Manatee, Sarasota
800-625-2257Takes consumer cases that exceed the small claims limit, which is worth reading twice: if your case is in small claims it may fall below what they handle. Counties: Brevard
321-631-2500Miami-Dade residents only, with consumer among the civil matters it handles. Counties: Miami-Dade
305-579-5733Formerly the Gifford Legal Services Clinic. One of the few on this list that names the work directly: debt collection defense, wage garnishments, foreclosure defense and bankruptcy. Counties: Indian River
772-410-4002By appointment only. Published areas are family, housing, employment, foreclosure, personal injury and small claims. Debt collection defense is not named, though small claims is, so it is worth asking. Counties: Lee
239-334-6118Writes its name without the Bar association suffix that some directories add. Practice areas are not published in detail, so ask about debt work on the call. Counties: Leon
850-222-3292Applications are by appointment only, so call first. Published areas are housing, domestic violence, veterans, immigration, seniors, education and disaster work, with consumer law only in general terms. Collier is not covered by Florida Rural Legal Services despite some directories saying so, but Coast to Coast Legal Aid does cover Collier and is listed here too. Counties: Collier
239-775-4555Runs a Consumer Advocacy program that names debt collection defense, garnishments and bankruptcy. Also reachable on 561-655-8944, and there is an online intake. Counties: Palm Beach
800-403-9353Its own site describes Orange County as the service area and says it assists residents of neighboring counties, so the Bar pamphlet's wider list is not what the organization claims. Published work is immigration, family and juvenile, and housing, so a debt case is probably not what it takes. Walk-in intake Monday to Thursday. Counties: Orange
407-841-8310Seminole County residents only. Does not advertise debt collection defense but does list garnishment defense, which matters after a judgment. Expect a short prescreen call, then a scheduled intake, then up to ten days for review. Counties: Seminole
407-834-1660Ask a civil legal question online and a volunteer Florida lawyer answers it, free. Income limits apply. For a question about a debt lawsuit this is often the fastest route to an actual lawyer's opinion.
The statewide portal. Enter your county and it points you at the programs that serve you.
The Bar's own county-by-county list. This is where the regional organizations below come from, and it is the place to check if something here looks out of date.
The national lookup, useful if you have moved recently or are not sure which county your case is in.
Legal aid income limits are low, and plenty of people who genuinely cannot afford a lawyer are still over them. Two routes that do not require qualifying:
The Bar's own referral service. A participating attorney charges $25 for an initial 30-minute consultation. Some callers qualify for a free half hour through its low-fee, elderly and disability panels.
800-342-8011A directory of attorneys who represent consumers rather than creditors. This is the right list for a debt collection case, and see the section above on why one of these lawyers may cost you nothing.
These calls are short and the intake person is working through a queue. Having this to hand is the difference between being helped and being told to call back:
Every one of these organizations is oversubscribed. They turn people away, not because the case is weak but because there are more cases than lawyers. Some do not take consumer debt matters at all, and focus on housing, family or benefits.
So: call more than one, and do not read a "no" as a verdict on your case. A program that cannot represent you will often still give advice, point you at a clinic, or help you understand what your papers say. And while you wait on a call back, the deadline on your summons keeps running, so keep working on your response.
While you wait: build your Answer, free →Or start with the step-by-step roadmap, or find your county's court information.