Firm News

Baxter & Baxter, LLP, has opened its Vancouver, Washington bankruptcy office, to serve Clark County, Cowlitz County, Pacific County, Wahkiakum County, and Skamania County. The Vancouver, Washington bankruptcy lawyers of the Bankruptcy Practice Group represent individuals in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy. The new office is located at:

1101 Broadway Street, Suite 213
Vancouver, Washington 98660, USA
Tel. 360.574.5239
Fax 360.326.1613

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Justin Baxter, of Baxter & Baxter, LLP, has been recognized as a "Rising Star" by Law & Politics, a publication of Key Professional Media, Inc. Super Lawyers is a listing of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.

ABOUT RISING STARS

The General Survey

Lawyers are asked to nominate the best attorneys who are 40 or under, or who have been practicing for 10 years or less. They are instructed to nominate lawyers they have personally observed in action — whether as opposing counsel or co-counsel, or through other firsthand courtroom observation.

The Research Process

In addition to the general survey, the attorney-led research team reviews the credentials of potential candidates and assigns points based on a set of defined evaluation criteria. The research staff also confirms that nominees are properly licensed, in good standing with the state licensing agency, and, when possible, that they have no history of disciplinary action that would warrant removal from the list.

The Final Selection Process

The point totals from the general survey and research process are then added to arrive at a final tally. The lawyers are ranked by point totals and those with the highest point totals are named to the Rising Stars list. No more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state are named to the list. To ensure a diverse and well-balanced list, the research staff considers factors such as firm size, practice area and geographic location.

A deal's a deal

The Desk has heard from a slew of readers in recent months struggling to cancel or change common consumer contracts such as those with gyms, Internet providers and cable and satellite companies. So have consumer lawyers and advocacy groups, which say there's been a jump in the number of people seeking help nationwide -- including some who've already fallen behind on contract-related payments and face debt collectors.

Judges typically hold consumers to their contracts, said Justin Baxter, a consumer protection lawyer in Southwest Portland, who is seeing more issues crop up in connection with contracts. It doesn't help, he said, when angry consumers fail to follow directions and do something like mail a cell phone back to a provider instead of send in the required certified letter to cancel.

Still, he noted, businesses have teams of lawyers on their side, while consumers typically don't.

"These documents could be written in such a way that it's easier for consumers to get a remedy," he said "To the extent that consumers are confused or stymied in their efforts to cancel contracts, equal responsibility falls on the business and the consumer."

Christine Cruz agrees but said she didn't get much of that give-and-take during a recent experience.

The North Portland resident had asked the Northwest Fighting Arts School for a break on a yearlong contract for classes her son was no longer interested in taking. She paid the $124 monthly charge in July, but asked to cancel the remaining $1,364 worth of payments.

Click here to read the whole story.

Justin Baxter was invited to meet today with members of Congressman Earl Blumenauer's Portland, Oregon and Washington D.C. staff for a question and answer session on consumer law topics. Among the subjects discussed were the increasing numbers of consumers experiencing problems with mortgage lenders and credit card banks, and possible resources and solutions for these consumers.

Congressman Blumenauer represents Oregon's 3rd District, which incorporates Portland, Multnomah County, and Clackamas County. He is well known for his livable communities initiatives. For more information on Congressman Blumenauer, visit his website here.

Justin Baxter was interviewed by the Oregonian about the plight of small regional bank customers who have had their savings account yield rates reduced. The article was about one regional bank's decision to pay a lower interest rate on interest bearing accounts.

Baxter & Baxter, LLP, attorney Justin Baxter commented: "You see issues like this, and it's essentially small scale fraud," he said. "If a bank cheats everyone out of $10, nobody is likely to bring a case, but that nickel-and-diming adds up for the bank."

Click here to read the whole story.

This information is presented by the Bankruptcy Practice Group of Baxter & Baxter, LLP, a Portland, Oregon consumer litigation law firm, specializing in credit reporting cases, identity theft cases, and unlawful debt collection practices cases.

The Bankruptcy Practice Group of Baxter & Baxter, LLP represents individuals in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies. We offer a free initial phone consultation. We can stop collection calls from debt collectors. We can advise consumers whether to file for bankruptcy, and what form of bankruptcy to file. Our rates are competetive, and an uncontested no-asset Chapter 7 bankruptcy can be filed for as little as $1,250.

The Bankruptcy Practice Group will be led by Lyndon Ruhnke, who will join the firm as "Of Counsel" to Baxter & Baxter, LLP. Click here to learn more about Portland bankruptcy attorney Lyndon Ruhnke.

Portland, Oregon.

A jury in Portland, Oregon has returned a verdict of $200,000 against Equifax Information Services, LLC, for violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Plaintiff's counsel were Portland attorneys Mike Baxter and Justin Baxter.

Ms. Valentine, a high school librarian from Portland, has been disputing fraudulent accounts and information on her Equifax credit reports since 1987, including false and derogatory medical bills and collection accounts. The bills were incurred by a woman in Texas fraudulently using Ms. Valentine's identity. Ms. Valentine sent Equifax police reports, letters from creditors, and detailed correspondence, but Equifax refused to delete false accounts and other false information. Even when accounts were deleted, they would subsequently reappear months or years later. As a result of Equifax's false reporting, Ms. Valentine had to be removed from the deed to her family's home, and endured years of futile attempts to have her otherwise perfect credit restored.

* Verdicts not intended to be representative.

Portland, Oregon.

A jury in Portland, Oregon returned a $210,000 verdict against Equifax Information Services, LLC, today in a Fair Credit Reporting Act case. Plaintiff's counsel were Portland attorneys Mike Baxter and Robert Sola.

In 2000, Matt Kirkpatrick learned that he was the victim of identity theft. Some thirty false credit lines showing collections, charge offs, and delinquencies appeared on his Equifax credit reports. Equifax repeatedly lost or failed to acknowledge receipt of Mr. Kirkpatrick's dispute letters, which contained copies of police reports, letters from creditors, and copies of his driver's license and social security number. Mr. Kirkpatrick continued to receive inaccurate credit reports for over four years. He was denied home improvement loans to complete an addition to his home and spent incalculable time attempting to get Equifax to remove false and derogatory information from his credit report.

* Verdicts not intended to be representative.