Sued over a debt, or contacted by a collector? Debt Defender or a ValiDebt validation letter is free for the Founding 50. 25 free spots left. Join the Founding 50A licensed Georgia attorney reviews and approves every filing.Contacted by a collector? See the start of your debt validation letter free. ValiDebtSued? Don’t lose by default. A Georgia attorney approves your Answer before it is filed. Debt DefenderKnow your odds before you spend on an appeal. Second LookFlat fees, stated up front.
Debt Defender

Georgia lawsuit defense

Sued over a credit card, loan, or medical bill?

We handle lawsuits over credit cards, personal loans, auto loan deficiencies, payday loans, hospital and medical bills, and car title loans, including when a debt buyer or collector is the one suing. Answer deadlines are short and a missed one can mean a default judgment, so start right away.

Just served? Don’t lose by default. A Georgia attorney approves your Answer before it is filed.

Two plans, one defense. Both start the same way: we read the complaint and its exhibits, draft the Answer, the objections, and the discovery to the standard a firm would file, and a Georgia attorney reviews every pleading. With Defender, the pleadings go out in your name, with ours nowhere on them, and you file them and go to court, with our kit and guide; everything else runs on our standard automation, with no attorney messaging. With Defender Pro, we do all of that for you.

Upload your documents

We read the complaint and show you what it says before asking who you are. You choose a plan after that. About three minutes.

Free, before you decide

Get a free case analysis of your complaint

Upload the documents you were served and leave an email. We read the whole complaint and send you a page you can keep and print:

  • Who is suing you, what kind of plaintiff it is, and the amount it claims
  • The court you are in and what happens there: the deadline to answer, discovery, trial and appeal
  • The standard defenses to this kind of suit, by Georgia code section, in plain words
  • The discovery a defendant can serve on the plaintiff

A second part applies the law to your complaint and opens when you choose a plan. Nothing is signed or paid to see any of it. It is general information prepared automatically, not legal advice, and no attorney has reviewed it; we become your lawyers only when you sign an agreement.

Get my free analysis

Upload the complaint, see what we read, then ask for the analysis. About a minute to prepare.

Real Attorneys, Real Intelligence.

AI

Using artificial intelligence to deliver an attorney-involved, affordable, intuitive defense with automated intake.

  • Attorney
    Involved.

    A Georgia attorney reviews every pleading before it goes out and makes the strategy calls along the way. Software drafts. A lawyer decides.

  • Affordable,
    Intuitive.

    One flat fee, shown before you start. Plain questions instead of legal forms. You always know where your case stands.

  • Automated
    Intake.

    Upload whatever you were sent, a lawsuit or a collector's letter. We read it and show you your options in minutes.

We use AI for the groundwork, and we say so. The attorney decides what goes out. Results are never guaranteed and depend on the facts of your case.

The same defense, drafted the same way and reviewed by a Georgia attorney. The differences are whose name is on the papers, who goes to court, and whether you can message an attorney.
Defender
You file. We prepare and review.
$250 / $500
claim up to $10,000 / claim over $10,000, flat fee*
Defender Pro
We file. We appear.
$750 / $1,500
claim up to $5,000 / claim over $5,000, flat fee*
The defense
Your complaint read and verified, allegation by allegation
Answer with every defense, evidentiary objection, and demand the facts support
Discovery to the Plaintiff: interrogatories, document requests, admissions, deposition notice (State and Superior Court)
Notice to produce and subpoena to the original creditor for its records
A Georgia attorney reviews every pleading before it is filed
Collector-violation analysis (FDCPA, FCRA): what we find, delivered to you
Preserving and pursuing those claims (a counterclaim in your Answer, and litigating it)Your Answer can include it for a one-time $250 add-on, once your draft is ready. Litigating it is Defender Pro
Opening the default when your Answer is late (within Georgia's 15-day as-of-right period)The opening-default papers for a one-time $250 add-on; you file them and pay the court's costsA one-time $250 fee, paid before we accept a late case; we file the papers with your Answer
Settlement talks with the PlaintiffYouWe negotiate for you
Who does what
Whose name is on the pleadingsYours, self-representedOurs, as your attorney
Signing, filing, and serving the pleadingsYou, with our filing kitWe do it
Court appearances, including trialYou, with our trial-day guideWe appear for you
Talking with the Plaintiff's lawyer and the court about anything outside the pleadings (calls, scheduling, questions from the judge)You. We prepare the pleadings; we do not speak for youWe do; they deal with us, not you
DeadlinesYours to meet; we remind youOurs
Who handles later documents?You, with the papers the portal gives youThe firm, within the agreed scope
Can I upgrade?Yes; your payment is credited toward Defender ProAlready represented
Court day
Filing kit: step-by-step instructions to sign and file your papersWe file for you
Trial-day guide for your case: what to do before the day, what happens, and what the Plaintiff has to proveNot needed: we appear for you
Trial brief for the judge (opening, motions, burdens of proof, closing), approved by an attorney and shared by link or QR codeOur attorney argues it in court
Support
Case portal: your pleadings, deadlines, documents, and messages
Automatic emails, task reminders, and deadline alerts
Questions about your case answered from your case record, any hour
Messaging with your attorneyNo: automated answers onlyDirect, in your portal
Fee recovery from the other side when a claim succeeds—
Upload your documents and choose there

We read the complaint first and show you what it says. You pick Defender or Defender Pro on the next screen, with the fee for your claim beside each. Nothing is signed or paid until later.

* Our flat fees cover the attorney work described for your matter. They do not include court filing fees, process-server or other service fees, court reporter and transcript fees, record or document retrieval fees, postage, or similar third-party costs (if any). Those are billed separately, at cost.

Our refund promise. If we decline your case for any reason before we accept it, you get a full refund. On Defender Pro, if you retained us and gave us what we asked for in time, and we do not file your Answer by the court’s deadline, we refund our fee.This is a promise about our service, not about how your case ends: no one can promise an outcome. Court and service fees, and costs already paid to others, are billed separately and are not covered.

Read the agreement before you start: Defender (limited scope) · Defender Pro (full representation). Nothing is signed until you start.

AI-generated video of attorney Chris McClurg.

What a Georgia attorney does on your case

We use AI for the groundwork, and we say so. The attorney decides what goes out. On either plan, this is the work:

Step 1 of 7

01

Start free: upload your complaint

Upload the lawsuit you were served and leave an email. In about a minute you get a page with who is suing you, the court, your deadline to answer, and the standard defenses to this kind of case, by Georgia code section, in plain words. It is general information, not legal advice. Nothing is signed or paid to see it.

With Defender, the pleadings go out in your name and you file them, with our filing kit and trial-day guide. With Defender Pro, we do all of that for you and appear for you. If you start with Defender, you can move up to Defender Pro and your fee counts toward it. A counterclaim on Defender is a one-time $250 add-on.

What we need from you

  • The complaint and anything attached to it
  • The date you were served, because your answer deadline runs from that date
  • Short answers to a few plain questions about the debt
  • Letters, statements and anything else you have from the collector

It takes about as long as filling out a form. If something is missing, we tell you exactly what.

Contacted by a collector, but not sued?

You can dispute the debt or ask for information about it in writing, usually within thirty days of their first notice. We print and mail it for you with an AI assistant for $25, or have an attorney review and send it for $69.

Prepare a letter to the collector. It does not stop a lawsuit. If you have been served, the plans above are for you.

We check every case for collector violations. Every case, on either plan, is analyzed for violations of consumer protection laws such as the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. On Defender Pro, a counterclaim is brought where the facts support one, and you may be able to recover the fees you paid to FairCounsel from the other side. On Defender you receive the analysis, and once your draft Answer recommends a counterclaim, and before an attorney approves the Answer, you can have it included for a one-time $250 add-on; litigating it is Defender Pro. Some claims have short deadlines. Results are never guaranteed and depend on the facts of your case.

What a default judgment does

If no written response is filed by the deadline, the court can enter a default judgment without a hearing. That judgment is the plaintiff's license to collect.

  • The full amount, and then some. A default judgment is for everything the plaintiff asked for: the balance, interest, court costs, and often the plaintiff's attorney's fees. Interest keeps running on the judgment until it is paid.
  • Wages garnished. With a judgment, the plaintiff can take up to 25% of your take-home pay straight from your employer, and a Georgia garnishment can keep going for years.
  • Bank account frozen. A bank garnishment freezes what is in your account and hands it to the plaintiff, sometimes before you know it has happened.
  • A lien on your home. The judgment is recorded on the county execution docket and indexed statewide. It becomes a lien on any real estate you own, and it has to be paid off to sell or refinance.
  • A public record that follows you. Civil judgments no longer appear on the three major credit reports, but the debt behind the lawsuit can still be reported as a collection, and the judgment itself shows up in the public-record and tenant, employment, and mortgage screening reports that landlords, employers, and lenders run. Lenders commonly require a judgment to be paid before they will approve a loan.
  • Your counterclaim goes unraised. Debt lawsuits often carry collector violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act or the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Raised as a defense or counterclaim, they can force a settlement and can make the other side pay your attorney's fees. Default, and none of that is ever put in front of the court: the plaintiff collects and you never get to ask.
  • It lasts. A Georgia judgment is good for seven years and can be renewed, so it can follow you long after the lawsuit itself is forgotten.

Frequently asked questions

Read this first

I was just served with a lawsuit over a debt. What do I do first?

Do not ignore it. In Georgia, your written response, called an Answer, is generally due 30 days after you were served, and the date runs from the day you received the papers, not the day you read them. Find your court papers, write down the date you were served, and act right away. If the deadline has already passed, a default can usually still be opened as a matter of right within 15 days after the Answer was due, by paying the court costs (filing fees). After that it is much harder. Time is of the essence.

Start my Answer

Getting started / urgent

What is Debt Defender?

Debt Defender is our flat-fee defense for Georgia credit card, loan, and medical-bill lawsuits. We read your complaint, ask you a short set of questions, and prepare your Answer with every defense your facts support. In State and Superior Court we also prepare discovery to the Plaintiff, and a notice to produce and subpoena to the original creditor for its records. A licensed Georgia attorney reviews every pleading before it is filed. There are two plans: Defender and Defender Pro.

See plans
What is the free case analysis?

Upload the complaint you were served and leave an email, and we send you a page you can keep and print: who is suing you and what kind of plaintiff it is, the amount claimed, the court you are in and what happens there, the standard defenses to this kind of suit by Georgia code section, and the discovery a defendant can serve. A second part applies the law to your complaint and opens when you choose a plan. Nothing is signed or paid to see any of it. It is general information prepared automatically, not legal advice, and no attorney has reviewed it; we become your lawyers only when you sign an agreement and we accept your matter. Any deadline shown is an estimate from the service date you type, never from the paper.

What if I already missed the deadline to answer?

A default can usually still be opened as a matter of right within 15 days after the Answer was due, by paying the court costs (filing fees). Both plans can handle it. On Defender, the opening-default papers are a one-time $250 add-on, and you file them and pay the court's costs. On Defender Pro, a one-time $250 fee is paid before we accept a late case, and we file the papers with your Answer. After those 15 days it is much harder, so act now.

Is this for me?

Which lawsuits does Debt Defender cover?

Georgia lawsuits over credit card debt, personal or installment loans, auto loan deficiencies, payday or short-term loans, hospital or medical debt, and car title loans. It does not cover foreclosures or evictions, and it is for cases in Georgia courts. If your case is not a fit, we will tell you and point you to other help.

How it works

What do I actually get?

A reviewed Answer prepared from your facts and your complaint; discovery to the Plaintiff and a subpoena to the original creditor where your court allows it; an analysis of possible collector violations (FDCPA and FCRA) delivered to you; and, on Defender, a filing kit that walks you through printing, signing, serving, and filing, plus a trial-day guide for court. You also get a Client Portal with your pleadings, deadlines, documents, and messages, with reminders by email.

What do I need to get started?

The complaint and the documents you were served with; a photo or PDF is fine. We read the complaint first and show you what it says before we ask who you are, then you choose a plan with the fee for your claim beside each. It takes about three minutes, and nothing is signed or paid until later.

What if I upload a collector's letter instead of a lawsuit?

We check what the file is before anything is kept. If it is a letter from a debt collector or a court order rather than a lawsuit complaint, we say so and point you to the free page built for that paper where one is available: ValiDebt's free notice analysis for a collector's letter, Second Look's free order recap for an order. Nothing from the wrong page is saved.

Does it matter which court I am in?

Not for the Answer or the attorney review: those are the same in Magistrate, State and Superior Court. It matters for discovery. In State and Superior Court we also prepare discovery to the Plaintiff (interrogatories, requests for documents and for admissions, and a deposition notice) and a notice to produce and subpoena to the original creditor for its records. In Magistrate Court, where that written discovery is not available, we prepare the notice to produce for trial. Your complaint says which court you are in, and we read it for you.

Can you go after a collector who broke the law?

We analyze every complaint for possible collector violations under the FDCPA and FCRA and deliver what we find to you. Preserving and pursuing those claims, such as a counterclaim in your Answer, and litigating them is part of Defender Pro. On Defender, your Answer can include a counterclaim for a one-time $250 add-on once your draft is ready; litigating it is Defender Pro.

How is AI used in Debt Defender?

The same way as in Second Look: AI-assisted tools do the first pass, reading your complaint and drafting from your answers, and a licensed Georgia attorney reviews and approves every pleading before it goes out. The attorney is accountable for the result. The tools change how fast we can help, not who is responsible.

What happens to my complaint and email after a free analysis?

We keep the complaint and the email so the page can be shown to you and so, if you sign up, you do not upload the complaint again. If you do not continue, the analysis, the complaint and your email are deleted 30 days after you asked for it. The complaint is sent to the AI service we use to read it. We send one email with the link to your analysis, and we do not email you about it again.

Plans and pricing

What is the difference between Defender and Defender Pro?

With Defender, you are self-represented: the pleadings go out in your name, you sign and file them with our filing kit, you handle the Plaintiff's lawyer, and you go to court yourself with our trial-day guide. We remind you of deadlines, but they are yours to meet, and there is no attorney messaging. With Defender Pro, a Georgia attorney represents you: our name is on the pleadings, we sign, file, and serve everything, we deal with the Plaintiff's lawyer and negotiate for you, and we appear in court for you. Defender Pro also includes preserving and pursuing collector-violation claims, such as a counterclaim, and direct messaging with your attorney.

See plans
What does it cost?

The fee is flat* and depends on the amount the Plaintiff claims. Defender is $250 if the claim is $10,000 or less and $500 if it is over. Defender Pro is $750 if the claim is $5,000 or less and $1,500 if it is over. Court filing fees, service fees, and other third-party costs are billed separately at cost.

See pricing
What is the Founding 50?

We are giving our first Georgia clients, the Founding 50, either Debt Defender, our self-represented plan, if they have been sued, or a ValiDebt do-it-yourself validation letter, if a collector has written to them, at no charge, in return for honest feedback on how it works for you. The spots are shared between the two, and you choose one when you sign up. The free letter is the DIY letter only: mailing it for you and attorney review are separate, paid options. Signing up does not make us your lawyers. If you are one of the first 25, you will receive an email with a private link to start. If the lawsuit deadline is close, you can move straight to Defender Pro for immediate representation.

Is there a refund if you can't take my case?

If we decline your case for any reason before we accept it, you get a full refund. On Defender Pro, if you retained us and gave us what we asked for in time, and we do not file your Answer by the court's deadline, we refund our fee. This is a promise about our service, not about how your case ends: no one can promise an outcome. Court and service fees, and costs already paid to others, are billed separately and are not covered.

On Defender, are you my lawyer?

Not in your court case. On Defender, an attorney reviews your pleadings before they are filed, but the firm does not appear for you, sign for you, or speak for you to the Plaintiff's lawyer or the court, and submitting information does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship for the lawsuit. If you want an attorney to take over, move to Defender Pro.

Can I switch from Defender to Defender Pro?

Yes, at any time, including right before a hearing. It is the same case and the same file. Your Defender fee is credited in full and you pay only the difference. Court and other third-party costs are still billed at cost, and you sign a representation agreement before we appear for you.

After filing / what happens next

Do I have to go to court?

On Defender, yes: you appear for yourself, and our trial-day guide explains what to bring and what to expect. On Defender Pro, we appear for you. Many cases in Magistrate Court end before trial once a real defense is on file, but we cannot promise any outcome.

Will you tell me that I will win?

No. Results are never guaranteed, and a defense does not erase a debt you owe. What it does is hold the Plaintiff to its proof: it must show it owns the debt, the amount, and that it sued in time. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Not sure which plan fits? The three questions people ask most are answered on the pricing page.