You hired a lawyer to handle a debt, yet a collector is calling your Pinellas County phone again. You’re angry, and you want to know whether you have to pick up. I’ve been licensed in Florida since 2010 and have helped more than 4,000 Floridians deal with debt.
Here’s what most people don’t know: the collector’s knowledge matters. Save the message, tell your lawyer, and let them decide the next move before you speak with the collector.
What to do when a debt collector contacts you after hiring an attorney
Keep the call or message
Don’t delete the voicemail because it upset you. Save it. Keep the text, email, letter, or envelope, too. Write down the date, time, phone number, collector’s name, and what they said.
If you answered, make a note while the conversation is fresh. Did you tell the caller you had a lawyer? Did they ask for payment or threaten to sue? Your notes help your attorney check what happened against what the collector knew at the time.
You don’t have to debate the debt on the phone. A short response works: “I have an attorney for this debt. Please contact my attorney.” Give the lawyer’s contact information if you have it handy, then end the call.
Send it to your lawyer promptly
Forward the message and tell your lawyer whether you’ve heard from this collector before. Include any letter your attorney sent announcing the representation and any delivery record you have.
In our Clearwater office, I want to see the actual words the collector used. “Please call us” and “Pay this balance today” can raise different questions. A call log helps, but the voicemail itself can tell us more.
When the FDCPA and Florida law limit direct contact
The collector must know who represents you
The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, restricts direct contact when a debt collector knows you’re represented about that debt and knows, or can readily find, your attorney’s name and address. You can read the rule in 15 U.S.C. § 1692c. Our page on common FDCPA violations covers the other conduct the law prohibits.
Hiring a lawyer doesn’t give every collector instant notice. Your attorney might represent you in a lawsuit over one account while a different collector calls about another. We need to know which debt the lawyer agreed to handle and when that collector learned of the representation.
That’s why I ask clients for the notice sent to the collector, not only the date they signed with our firm. If the collector called before receiving notice, the timeline changes the analysis.
Florida law reaches more than collection agencies
Florida’s Consumer Collection Practices Act, or FCCPA, has its own attorney-contact restriction in section 559.72(18). Unlike the FDCPA, Florida’s collection rules can reach original creditors as well as third-party collectors.
Neither rule makes every later contact unlawful. The statutes have limits involving an attorney’s response or consent. Show your lawyer what arrived rather than assuming the collector broke the law.
Build a clear record if the calls continue
Keep the evidence in one place
Save messages in their original form when you can. Screenshots help, but keep the text thread or email, too. A mailed letter deserves its envelope because the postmark can help establish when it was sent.
I tell people to make a simple timeline: when they hired counsel, when the collector got the lawyer’s information, and each contact after that. You don’t need a fancy spreadsheet. You need dates your attorney can check.
If calls reach your workplace or a family member, record that separately. Tell your lawyer what the caller said and who heard it. Those details can raise issues beyond contact with a represented consumer. Our page on Florida debt collection harassment explains other conduct we look for.
Don’t test the collector
You don’t need to answer every call to build a case. Let voicemail take a message if answering feels overwhelming. Don’t provoke the caller or promise a payment to see what they’ll say.
Give your attorney the full record, including messages you sent back. If you consented to direct contact, or your lawyer spoke with the collector about calling you, those facts belong in the review. The goal is an accurate account, not the longest call log.
Hiring a lawyer doesn’t replace a written debt dispute
Watch the validation notice
A collector generally must provide debt-validation information within five days of its first communication unless it already gave you that information or you’ve paid the debt. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1692g, you have 30 days after receiving the notice to dispute the debt in writing.
If you dispute within that window, the collector must pause collection of the disputed debt or portion until it mails verification. Tell your attorney when you received the notice. Hand over the envelope, too.
Representation and a written dispute do different jobs. Your lawyer’s involvement restricts certain direct communications when the collector knows about it. A timely written dispute addresses the collector’s claim that you owe the debt. One doesn’t automatically accomplish the other.
Ask before sending another letter
You also have the right to request that a collector stop communicating with you under a separate FDCPA provision. That request has its own rules and exceptions. If you’ve hired counsel, talk to them before sending a form letter you found online.
Your lawyer can decide whether to send a representation notice, dispute the balance, request records, or take more than one of those steps. Meanwhile, keep every new notice. Silence from the collector doesn’t mean the account disappeared.
A lawsuit has its own deadline
Read the summons, even if the calls stop
A collector’s phone call can wait for your lawyer. A court deadline can’t.
If someone serves you with a Florida debt lawsuit, send every page to your attorney that day. In many Florida county and circuit court cases, the deadline to respond is 20 days after service. Small claims procedures can differ, so read your summons and have your lawyer confirm the date.
I don’t want a client to assume that telling a collector “call my lawyer” also files an Answer. It doesn’t. Missing a response deadline can let the plaintiff seek a default judgment, even when you have defenses worth raising.
Our Florida debt collection lawsuit defense page covers what happens after service. If your current lawyer isn’t handling the lawsuit, tell them immediately and ask who will.
Look at what the plaintiff can prove
A debt buyer still has to support its claim. We look at who owns the account, how the balance was calculated, and whether the records connect the plaintiff to your debt. Those questions need attention apart from the collector’s calls.
I also ask about your other accounts. Defending one lawsuit can make sense, but it won’t settle several unrelated debts. Depending on the full picture, we discuss defense, settlement, or whether Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 belongs in the conversation. A collector’s improper call doesn’t erase a valid debt or stop a lawsuit by itself.
What your attorney can do about the contact
Check for a claim without promising an outcome
Your attorney can compare the call record with the notice of representation and ask whether the FDCPA, FCCPA, or another law applies. A violation can support a claim of your own, but the facts matter. Who called? When? What did they know?
Florida Statutes § 559.77 allows additional statutory damages of up to $1,000 in an FCCPA action, along with other relief the statute describes. It sets a two-year period to bring a claim. Federal FDCPA claims have a one-year filing period. Don’t set the messages aside for months.
At Ziegler Diamond Law, we handle FDCPA and FCCPA claims on contingency. When a consumer prevails, these laws allow recovery of reasonable attorney’s fees from the violator on top of the consumer’s recovery. That doesn’t guarantee a recovery in any particular case. If a collector keeps contacting you, book a Free Debt Freedom Strategy Session and bring your call log.
Separate one legal problem from another
Consider prerecorded calls from a bank after a bankruptcy discharge. The dates of the calls and the discharge would matter, and so would what the bank knew. A call after discharge raises different issues from a call to someone represented on a particular debt.
That’s why I don’t label every unwanted call an attorney-contact violation the moment I hear about it. Your records tell us which protections fit. They also help us decide whether the immediate priority is stopping contact, answering a lawsuit, or addressing a larger debt problem.
If you hired one lawyer but aren’t sure what they cover
Confirm the scope of representation
A lawyer hired for bankruptcy isn’t necessarily handling a pending county court lawsuit. A lawyer defending one credit card case isn’t automatically representing you on every account in collections. Ask which debts and court cases your agreement covers.
Then ask how to forward new notices and who will tell collectors about the representation. In my experience, that quick conversation can prevent a painful surprise if a summons arrives at home but never reaches the person handling the case.
Make the next call to the right person
If your attorney covers the debt, send them the collector’s message and ask what to do if another call comes in. If they don’t cover it, find out quickly whether they’ll take the new matter or refer you elsewhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a debt collector contact me after I hire an attorney?
It depends on whether the collector knows you’re represented about that specific debt and can readily find your attorney’s contact information. The timing, the collector’s knowledge, and what they said all matter.
What should I do if a collector calls after my lawyer is notified?
Save the voicemail or other message and send it to your attorney promptly. Avoid debating the debt or promising payment while your lawyer reviews what happened.
Does hiring an attorney count as disputing the debt?
No. Representation and a written debt dispute serve different purposes, and one doesn’t automatically accomplish the other. Ask your attorney whether you should send a dispute and check the deadline on any validation notice.
Do I still need to respond to a debt lawsuit?
Yes. Tell your attorney about court papers as soon as you receive them; a call telling the collector to contact your lawyer doesn’t file a response. In many Florida county and circuit court cases, the response deadline is 20 days after service, but your summons and court procedures control.
Your next move
You hired a lawyer because you shouldn’t have to handle every collector call alone. Keep the evidence and pass it along. The key question isn’t simply whether the phone rang after you hired counsel. It’s what the collector knew, when they knew it, and what they said.
If court papers arrived too, deal with that deadline right away. A clear timeline gives your attorney something concrete to work with.
By Michael A. Ziegler, Esq., Florida Bar No. 74864, Managing Partner, Ziegler Diamond Law, Clearwater, FL
Call Ziegler Diamond Law at (727) 538-4188 for a Free Debt Freedom Strategy Session.
This article is general information, not legal advice. For Florida residents, contact Ziegler Diamond Law for a Free Debt Freedom Strategy Session.
