Level One Law Review [2024]

Level One Law Group is a debt relief company that offers debt negotiations and other services to help borrowers who cannot manage their monthly payments. If you’re behind on your payments, the company can negotiate with your creditors to reduce the amount of money you owe.

It’s important to thoroughly vet any debt relief company you work with. In this review, we’ll take a deeper look at the services Level One Law offers, how it works, customer reviews, and its pros and cons so you can make an informed decision.  

How does Level One Law work?

The process of resolving your debt will usually start by getting in touch with Level One Law. You’ll discuss your current financial situation and agree to enroll your debts into their debt management program. You’ll then start making payments into a separate escrow account instead of paying your creditors.

The debt negotiator assigned to you will work with your lenders to reduce the debt you owe. Once an agreement is reached, the company will make a lump sum payment to your lenders to close your account.

If you’re sued by a debt collector or think they’ve violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Level One Law can also represent you in court.

Pros and Cons of Level One Law

When you’re already stressed due to debt, it's even more important to work with a reliable debt relief company. Consider these pros and cons before working with Level One Law.

Pros of Level One Law

• It may help you reduce the amount of debt you owe
• Can represent you in court if you’re sued by a debt collector
• Offers bankruptcy consultancy

Cons of Level One Law

• Not Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited
• A large number of customer complaints against the company
• No pricing information exists anywhere on the company’s website
• Very low customer ratings across multiple review platforms (e.g., BBB and Trustpilot)

Services Offered by Level One Law 

Level One Law offers several different types of debt relief services, such as bankruptcy consultancy, debt settlement, and representation for consumer litigation cases:

• Debt Consolidation: While the website itself doesn’t list debt consolidation as a service they offer, plenty of reviews mention receiving mailers from the company that they’re preapproved for a debt consolidation loan. However, we were able to understand from the reviews that the company may be using “bait and switch” marketing techniques to enroll them in a debt settlement program instead.
• Debt Negotiations: Level One Law offers debt settlement programs through which the firm can help reduce the amount you owe by negotiating a lump-sum settlement amount with your lenders.
• Consumer Litigation: If a lender has taken legal action against you, Level One Law claims to have qualified lawyers who can represent you in court.
• FDCPA Law: If you think a debt collector has violated the FDCPA law, Level One Law can evaluate your case and suggest legal options that are right for you.
• Bankruptcy: Level One Law also offers bankruptcy consultancy to help you decide if filing for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy is a viable option to help you get out of debt.

Costs and Fees

Level One Law doesn’t list any details about the fees it charges on its website. Most debt settlement companies charge 15% to 25% of the debt that is enrolled in the program as fees, but they are only allowed to do so after they have successfully negotiated an acceptable settlement with your lenders on your behalf. 

A debt settlement company is not allowed to charge you anything more than a small enrollment fee (of less than $100, typically) when you sign up for their program.  If you decide to work with this company, it’s important to get complete clarity on their fees before you sign any agreement.

The company’s website mentions that the initial consultation is free, so you may want to use that as an opportunity to learn more about how they work and how much they charge.

Time To Complete the Debt Settlement Program

It usually takes two to three years to become debt-free with debt settlement. However, this will depend on a number of factors, such as how much you owe, how much you can put away each month to save for your lump-sum settlement payment, and how long it takes to reach an agreement with your lenders.

While Level One Law doesn’t specify how long it typically takes for its clients to complete the program, two to three years is the average time it takes for most settlement programs to complete this process.

Expected Relief Amount

Level One Law’s lack of transparency makes it difficult to determine how much a client can save through its settlement program. In most cases, an experienced debt relief company can help you save up to 50% of the debts you decide to enroll in the program.  These savings are calculated before the debt settlement company applies its fees.

Customer Service Options

You can get in touch with Level One Law by filling out a contact form on the company’s website. Existing clients also have access to an online portal to check their account details.

For other inquiries and questions, these are the company’s contact details:

Address: 100 S. Ashley Dr., Ste. 600, Tampa, FL 33602

Email: cas@levelonelaw.com

Phone Number: 1-866-435-6071 (Monday to Friday: 9 AM to 5:30 PM ET)

Level One Law Reviews and Feedback

Like with any other company, it’s important to thoroughly read the company’s reviews on multiple sites to learn more about how it operates and if there are any red flags you should be aware of.

Level One Law Reviews on Better Business Bureau

Level One Law’s BBB accreditation was revoked in 2023 due to failure to meet certain standards, such as addressing disputes in good faith and cooperating with BBB to resolve customer complaints. The company has 1.17/5 stars on BBB from 66 customer reviews as of August 2024.

There are over 100 complaints against the company, of which 72 remain unanswered. Most complaints talk about a lack of transparency and very high fees that clients were not aware of. Here’s one example of a complaint that hasn’t been resolved yet:

“We hired Level One Law to handle our debt. They are supposedly a debt consolidation company. We paid $1,040 per month to this company and started the program in April of ************************************ May 2023. In a one year span, they took thousands of dollars from us and settled ONE debt. We paid them over $10,000 and they settled ONE debt for $1800.00. The rest of the time, they took fees upon fees and stored a minimal amount in a savings account with **************** Their administration fee was $99.00 and their service fee was $600.00 EVERY MONTH so out of the $1040.00 we paid, they took their fees and put the remaining into savings. We were able to retrieve a monthly statement that showed these charges. After seeing that and noting that they are involved in a lawsuit amongst other debt consolidation companies, we quickly decided to remove ourselves from the program. We want our fees back. They did nothing for us. They settled 2% of our debt within a year’s time.”

Out of the 66 reviews the company has on BBB, only two have a 5-star rating. The negative reviews highlight issues such as difficulty getting in touch with the company, unsatisfactory results, and very high fees.

Level One Law Reviews on Trustpilot

On Trustpilot, Level One Law has 3.6/5 stars from 209 reviews as of August 2024. 61% of the reviews have 5-star ratings, while 22% have 1-star ratings.

Some of the positive reviews talk about attentive customer service and satisfaction with the results they got through the settlement program. The negative reviews highlight the same issues that were found with the BBB reviews, such as phone calls to the company not being answered, accounts not being settled for months, and high fees. Here’s an example to consider:

“Don't fall for their unethical business practices. Our rep, Sam Bartner, (doubtful that's even his real name) sold us on their debt consolidation program by telling us there were no fees except for a small admin fee. I thought it was too good to be true but I was so desperate that I believed him and went through with it. After 8 months in the program nothing has been settled, I've been served with a lawsuit from one of my creditors, and even though we have paid them almost $11k there was only $4k in our "account" to pay off creditors when we canceled the program. We now have no choice but to go bankrupt thanks to their deceitful and shady business model.”

Level One Law Reviews on Reddit

Posts on Reddit that mention Level One Law also highlight the negative experience clients have once they enroll in a program. Many of these posts talk about the bait-and-switch techniques that Level One Law uses. Here’s a Reddit post as an example:

“If you need assistance with debt relief/consolidation, please avoid this company.The company first attracts customers by sending mailings to your homes under the company name of Patriot Funding telling you that you have been pre-approved for a debt consolidation loan.When you reach out to them, you are told they do not offer loans, but help you by settling your debt for less than what you owe with the creditors using Level One Law firm.They also tell you to stop paying your creditors and they will set up an account with a company called Global Holdings where your payments are held and then used to pay the settled debts.While you are not paying your creditors, late fees and interest will accumulate and the money that you think is being saved to pay off your settled bill is instead being used to pay illegal upfront fees.Per the Federal Trade Commission debt relief services, you can't collect any fee from a customer until you meet these three requirements:You must have reached a successful result for your customer.There must be an agreement between your customer and the creditor.Your customer must have made a payment to the creditor.However, when you call to cancel and request a refund, you will be told you are only entitled to what is in your account at the time, even though the FTC requirements were not met.In my case, it was a mere 5% of what I gave to the company.”

How Level One Law Compare To Other Debt Settlement Companies

If you’re interested in enrolling in a debt settlement program, there are many options available. Compare how Level One Law compares to these other options before you narrow down your options.

Is Level One Law Worth It?

With a revoked BBB accreditation, hundreds of consumer complaints, and a lawsuit against the company, it may be best to avoid working with Level One Law.

There are many other highly reputable debt consolidation and settlement companies in the country from which to choose. Regardless of the amount of debt you have and your financial situation, there are many options when it comes to resolving your debt, such as credit counseling, debt consolidation loans, balance transfers, debt management plans, and more.