How to Qualify a Collections Lead From a Court Filing
You can qualify a collections lead from the court record in a minute. Five things tell you whether a plaintiff is likely to want an attorney: who they are, how often they file, whether they have counsel, how big the claim looks, and whether their address is usable. None of these is a guarantee.
What are the five checks?
- Plaintiff type. A company, a landlord, or an individual? Each wants something different.
- Filing history. A name that appears on many new cases is a repeat filer; see repeat filers in Utah small claims.
- Attorney of record. Revenue Spark only delivers plaintiffs with none listed, so this is already done. If a case later shows counsel, drop the lead.
- Claim size. The fee category on a money case sometimes includes a bracket such as "2K-10K." Utah small claims is capped at $20,000 according to the court's small claims page, so a case near the cap may be worth more of your time.
- Address. Every delivered lead has a complete, verified address, but a P.O. box suits a letter better than a visit.
How should you rank them?
A repeat filer with a mid-sized claim is usually the best first call, because one conversation can lead to many matters. A one-time individual with a small claim may still be a good fit if your fee is modest. These are judgment calls, not measured results.
What should you do with the rest?
Mail them anyway; mail is cheap relative to a call. See direct mail for collections attorneys. Leads are $0.50 each; see pricing and Utah collections attorney leads.
Want to see exactly what lands in your inbox? Download a sample spreadsheet — same format you'd actually receive, 250 fictional records so nothing here is a real defendant.