Q. I have my lawyer look over all my contracts. He reviewed a judgment enforcer’s paperwork and made changes to make it more legal, and it seemed fair to me, why won’t the judgment enforcer accept these modifications?

A: The forms that judgment enforcers use are time-tested to comply with the laws of each state. Sometimes your lawyer might try to “help” by combining the assignment of judgment form and the purchase agreement into one document. This will not work, as the purchase agreement is not filed with the court. Sometimes lawyers put in mandatory progress reports, regular accounting, and other things that make it seem the judgment enforcer is “working” for you or them – which is a legal no-no when the judgment enforcer is not a lawyer.

When an attorney or collection agency is recovering your judgment, they are working on your behalf, and may be more open to customizing their contract with you.