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Get Help Responding to a Lawsuit

Sarah Edwards | January 31, 2024

Sarah Edwards
Legal Expert
Sarah Edwards, BS

Sarah Harris is a professional researcher and writer specializing in legal content. An Emerson College alumna, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the prestigious Boston institution.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Hannah Locklear
Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: Have you been sued by a debt collector? If you don’t have legal experience, you might not have any idea how to respond. Here are your options: hire an attorney, use an online service like SoloSuit, see if you qualify for free or reduced-cost legal aid, and talk to your jurisdiction’s court clerk.

Dealing with debt can be overwhelming as it is. But when you throw a lawsuit into the mix, it can feel next to impossible to navigate the situation. Unless you’re a lawyer or someone who’s been sued before, you probably aren’t sure what to do next. Fortunately, you have more options than you think.

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How can I get help responding to a lawsuit?

Different states have different deadlines for responding to a lawsuit. Most don’t give you much time. You usually have between 14 and 35 days. If you need help responding, don’t wait until the last minute! The deadline for sending your Answer is very important.

If you miss the deadline, the court can make a default judgment against you. This means that you automatically lose the case.

Additionally, when there’s a court order for you to pay the debt, you might have your wages garnished or the total amount owed taken out of your bank account. There’s no room to negotiate a payment plan or settle for less than you originally owed.

With that being said, there are several ways you can get help responding to a lawsuit, including:

  • Hiring an attorney.
  • Using an online service.
  • Seeing if you qualify for free or reduced-cost legal aid.
  • Talking to your jurisdiction’s court clerk.

Take a closer look at each option.

Hire an attorney

If you can afford to do so, hiring an attorney is a great idea. Unfortunately, attorney fees can be costly. This expense can make hiring an attorney out of reach for many people.

You might be wondering how much an attorney charges to complete and file an Answer form. There are too many variables to make an accurate estimate, though. It depends on factors like the amount you’re being sued for, the overall complexity of the case, and where you live.

An attorney might charge anywhere from a few hundred dollars to well over $1,000 to complete, file, and serve an Answer form. Keep in mind that you also would be responsible for any filing fees your county charges.

Use an online service

Luckily, you have more options than hiring an attorney or going it completely alone. Some online services will format the Answer form for you after you answer a few basic questions. Some will even file it for you, too.

SoloSuit is one of those companies. All you need to do is answer a few questions about your debt when prompted. From there, SoloSuit will format your Answer document, file it, and give you a copy as well.

See if you qualify for free or reduced-cost legal aid

Your income will determine whether you’re eligible for free or inexpensive legal help. Many states — and sometimes even counties or cities — offer legal aid to residents who make under a certain amount.

Depending on the program’s available resources, a legal aid service might be able to fill out and file your Answer form, or they might only be able to talk you through how to do it yourself.

Talk to your court’s clerk

Before you go to the trouble of finding your court clerk, keep in mind that clerks legally cannot give you legal advice. However, they can talk you through filling out an Answer form.

Some counties also offer blank Answer forms for you to fill out. They might have the forms published on the court website. If not, you may need to visit the court clerk in person to get a form.

This is a good option if you’re confident in your ability to fill out the Answer form and send it to the right people. If you want some more guidance, online tutorials can help!

Check out SoloSuit’s video on how to draft an Answer form in response to a Summons.

Responding to a lawsuit is simple with an online service

If you choose to respond to a lawsuit using an online service, you won’t have to worry about expensive attorney fees or the stress of shouldering your lawsuit on your own.

The cost of using SoloSuit is typically much less than that of hiring an attorney. You can opt for one of two different levels — standard and premium. The standard level includes the following:

  • Creation of the Answer document.
  • A PDF download.
  • Calculation of the filing fee you’ll need to pay.
  • Filing the document in 1 to 8 days.
  • Status updates.

You may want to explore more features beyond the basics. This is where the premium package comes in. The premium package gives you the security of knowing an attorney has reviewed and approved your Answer.

The premium package includes:

  • Creation of the Answer document.
  • Attorney review before filing.
  • A PDF download.
  • Calculation of the filing fee you’ll need to pay.
  • Filing the document in 1 to 6 days.
  • Status updates.

The process of using SoloSuit is simple. Here’s an example of how it works.

Example: Annie gets a Summons stating that ABC Collections is suing her for $700. She searches, “How can I get help responding to a lawsuit?” and discovers SoloSuit. Annie uses SoloSuit’s deadline calculator to determine how long she has to send an Answer and opts for SoloSuit’s premium package so she can have the benefit of an attorney review. She answers a few questions and sends them off, making sure to monitor her email so she knows when her Answer has been officially filed.

Start drafting your Answer right now with SoloSuit!

Get fast, easy help 24/7 with SoloSuit

SoloSuit takes the guesswork out of filing your Answer form. We’ll handle the filing for you, too. Best of all, we can help with more than just Answer forms. Whether you want to make a debt collector validate your debt or settle your current debt lawsuit, we can offer simple and effective solutions. Let SoloSuit help you with your debt lawsuit today!

Need to settle your debt lawsuit? Get started with SoloSettle by SoloSuit today!

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