Attorney Matt Hewitt (Left) discusses case strategies with a client., (MyBayCity Photo by Dave Rogers) Attorney Matt Hewitt Launches Good Samaritan Legal Aid for Debt Protection
March 6, 2011
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"It all came flooding in to me one Sunday in church," recalled Matthew Hewitt, an attorney, describing how he got the idea for Good Samaritan Legal Aid.
The reading was about the Good Samaritan, a person during the time of Jesus who stopped to help a fallen stranger and thus entered the Bible and the history books.
Mr. Hewitt was struck by the connection between the example set by the ancient helper and the need for more aid to persons being hounded for debts in these troubled financial times.
In the criminal justice system, he thought, the judge says: "If you don't have the funds to hire an attorney, one will be appointed for you." But in the civil arena, publicly funded legal aid programs are underfunded, the lawyers are overworked and unable to serve the full public need.
"Why not form an organization that will stand up for those who are being abused by debt collectors?" Mr. Hewitt asked himself.
Thus was born Good Samaritan Legal Aid.
Mr. Hewitt estimates there are 400 clients for every attorney in the U.S. However, he says, there are an estimated 6,861 clients for every publicly funded legal aid attorney.
Many of the clients he sees who are seeking protection from abusive debt collectors are average, hard-working people who, for no fault of their own, have lost their jobs.
One of the worst arenas is the payday lenders, who often are owned by "the mob," he said. Buffalo, New York, is the headquarters of many of these mob-owned outfits that reap outrageous profits. A person who fails to repay the high interest loan finds a violent mob collector at their door, he said.
A partner in the firm of Gower Reddick, Mr. Hewitt has found over the past few years the growing evils of bad economic times, job losses and technology are increasing stress on average citizens.
He has dozens of horror stories from honest people who have fallen behind on their bills and are being subjected to harassing phone calls screaming "you're lying, you're a cheat, quit hiding!"
This kind of harassing activity leads to a variety of social problems including alcohol abuse, divorce and spousal abuse. "We see more an more of these outcomes in our office every day," he said.
Technology comes into play with predictive dialers, telephone dialing machines that place thousands of automated calls in a day. The odds have been figured by the collection agencies that even if only one percent of calls are answered, the machine has served its function.
"If you get such a call ask the caller's name, where they are calling from and who they represent," he advises. "If this information is not furnished, the call is probably from an illegal source. Just hang up."
The mob, and illegal firms overseas, have found debt collection to be a good way to steal identities and open the bank accounts of unsuspecting persons.
"They may harass you until you confirm a bit of information that helps them compile your financial and personal profile," he said. "Then they can access your credit card or bank account and steal what they want."
"Much of the telephone activity by debt collectors has been labeled an abusive practice by Congress, violating a citizen's right to peace and quiet," he said.
One of Mr. Hewitt's clients came to him for help in stopping a caller who was seeking information about the person's son who lived in another state.
"Their strategy was to put so much pressure on the parent that they would cave in and reveal information about the son," he said. "Congress has ruled that illegal under the Fair Debt Collection Act. But many people don't know much about the laws passed for their protection, so that's where we come in as lawyers."
Since most people under duress from illegal phone calls from debt collectors, Mr. Hewitt thinks the Good Samaritan Legal Aid organization can help.
"We are finding many people, churches, clubs and organizations in the community willing to help us build a fund to help these people," he said.
The new non-profit organization will ask a person in need of protection to get an estimate from an attorney and apply for help. They will agree to voluntarily repay the funds if possible and Mr. Hewitt thinks that most people will comply. That way the fund will grow and become a major positive force for families and society.
For more information, contact Mr. Hewitt at hewittlawfirm@gmail.com. ###
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