Colorado Supreme Court
Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel
Promoting Professionalism. Protecting the Public.
Attorney
Regulation Warns About ‘World Law’
Attorneys should be aware of a debt
settlement company using the name World Law that is prohibited by a recent
court order from most operations in the state.
By STAFF
Winter 2015
The Colorado
Supreme Court this month ordered a debt settlement company using the name World
Law to cease certain operations in the state.
Hundreds of
Colorado consumers paid sizeable amounts to entities using the trade names
World Law Direct, World Law Debt, World Law Group and World Law Processing.
Consumers believed the entities would provide legal representation while
settling their debts at a discount. The entities advertised through websites
such as www.worldlawdebtassistance.com and www.worldlawdirect.com.
On Feb. 2,
the Colorado Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction ordering the World Law
entities to stop their unauthorized practice of law. Despite claiming to be
associated with a law firm, World Law entities have used unsupervised
paralegals to provide legal services, including drafting pleadings for
customers to file in defense of collections proceedings.
World Law
continues to advertise and operate in Colorado despite a district court order
earlier this year prohibiting the entities from their deceptive trade
practices. In a lawsuit filed in Denver District Court, the Attorney General
alleged that World Law entities had taken fees prior to settling consumers’
debts, in violation of Colorado’s Debt-Management Services Act. In addition,
the Attorney General alleged that World Law entities falsely promised to
provide customers with licensed Colorado attorneys but instead used non-lawyer
employees to draft court pleadings in violation of the Colorado Consumer
Protection Act. In October, Denver District Court Judge Robert L. McGahey
ordered World Law entities to stop advertising, enrolling customers, collecting
fees, providing legal forms and interfering with customers’ accounts.
The Office
of Attorney Regulation Counsel and the Colorado Attorney General’s Office urge
World Law customers to read the Supreme Court’s order in case No. 14SA282 and
the Denver District Court’s order in case No. 14CV31779 and consult a licensed
Colorado attorney about their rights.
For
additional information, consumers may call Attorney Regulation Counsel Jim
Coyle at (303) 457-5800 or contact www.StopFraudColorado.gov.