Virginia Debt Collection Laws: Live Passionately

Today, April 10, 2013, The National List of Attorneys published the white paper on debt collection law in Virginia, written by Peter Kubin with Dominion Law Associates.  Based in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, the firm’s roots in the collection industry date back to 1977. Since then, they have emerged as a leader in the field of debt recovery and provide state-wide litigation service and coverage throughout Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland and D.C. The firm has been a member of The National List of Attorneys for 10 years.

Peter Kubin is a William & Mary School of Law graduate and the firm’s CEO. He has worked in the debt collection industry for 15 years.  One hundred percent of his law practice is dedicated to debt collection, compliance and defense. He is a member of the National Association of Retail Collection Attorneys (NARCA), ACA International and the Virginia Creditors Bar Association.

Peter told us, “When I entered the field, I assumed I would need to leave my empathy at the door and focus on being hard-nosed. However, actual experience has taught me that empathy is key to doing the best job for the client. The best resolutions are ones where the customers feel like they were listened to and treated professionally. I really enjoy finding creative solutions to problems. The best scenarios are ones where you make a recovery for your client, but the customer also feels satisfied and often even thanks you for your help.”

Peter Kubin

According to Peter, creditors need to know about the VA requirement that “every case (disputed or not) be set for an initial court date. This means you need to have very strong logistics in order to pursue statewide representation.” See the paper for more detail about this requirement.

In the paper Peter writes, “Broadly speaking, Virginia strives to be a business-friendly state with a fair approach to debt collection laws. For example, the state does not impose special licensing or bonding requirements for collections entities, and doesn’t have any heavy or harsh regulatory or enforcement history. In addition, Virginia has the advantage of having some of the lowest suit filing and service fees in the country. At the same time, there are some key nuances that one needs to know in order to successfully operate in Virginia.” The paper summarizes some of those key nuances in VA law.

Dominion prides itself on its highly tenured and experienced management team. The firm’s philosophy is to blend the best of collection agency methods and technology with a law firm’s litigation strategies, while maintaining the highest legal and ethical standards. They support a number of charities, but their “signature charity” is REACH (Reading Enriches All Children).

Peter’s parents were Czech refugees who fled the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia after the “Prague Spring” of 1968. They went to South Africa, where he was born. He lived in South Africa until age 12. Peter, his wife of 13 years and their two sons (8 and 10) now live in Virginia Beach, VA. Outside of work, Peter enjoys traveling and playing golf.

The National List thanks Peter for submitting this paper and for telling us something about himself and his firm. You can access the paper at http://www.nationallist.com/white_papers/virginia.