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Question:

what is the relationship that an attorney can have with a credit agency?

As I am finishing law school, I was wondering what relationship an attorney can have with a credit agency or business that is able to pull a credit report. It seems as if no attorneys can work for a company that pulls credit reports, but can they own the company, possibly as a silent partner? Can an attorney work for or with a company that pulls credit reports even if it is not in the capacity of working with anything doing with credit reporting? Every attorney that I have looked into requires that a client bring in a copy of their credit report.

Answers:

1) I don't understand the question. There is no profit in requiring a client to bring in their credit report because everyone is entitled to a copy of their own report once a year from each of the major credit bureaus.

2) First, attorneys are bound to follow the Fair Credit Reporting Act, as are others. Second, I think you are mistaken in your assumption that attorneys cannot have any relationship with a business that pulls credit reports. I work for a collection law firm and we pull credit reports as necessary to collect certain debts, and always in compliance with the FCRA and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Now, in some states, an attorney cannot own both a law practice and a collection agency, and that might cause some confusion. However, I know of no reason why an attorney cannot have such a relationship. I have never heard of an attorney requiring a client bring in a copy of their credit report.

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