If a letter or lawsuit from Nelson and Kennard just showed up in your mailbox, you’re probably feeling a mix of confusion and worry. That’s normal. Nelson and Kennard is a real law firm, and it’s not always clear what your options are once they get involved in your debt.
This guide breaks down exactly who Nelson and Kennard are, what the firm actually does, what your legal rights are, and what steps to take whether you were sent a collection letter, served with a lawsuit, or you’re just trying to make a payment. Everything here is based on publicly available court records, the firm’s own website, Better Business Bureau data, and consumer protection resources.
What Is Nelson and Kennard LLP
Nelson and Kennard, also written as Nelson & Kennard or N&K, is a civil litigation and collections law firm. The firm represents consumer and commercial credit grantors, meaning banks, auto lenders, credit card companies, and debt buyers who want to recover money owed to them.
Robert Scott Kennard, who has practiced law in California since 1984, co-founded the firm and remains one of its key attorneys today. He is also licensed in Washington and the District of Columbia.
History and Founding
The Law Offices of Nelson & Kennard formed in 1986 as a partnership between Donald G. Nelson and Robert Scott Kennard. The firm’s original focus was serving the auto finance industry, handling the collection of deficiency balances, replevin actions (recovering repossessed property through the courts), creditor representation in bankruptcy cases, and related defense work.
By 1995, the firm had grown into a full-service collection operation. It expanded into credit card collections, both for direct creditors and purchased debt, along with consumer lines of credit, commercial accounts, and mortgage collections.
The firm later merged with the Law Offices of David A. Bauer, P.C. in 2016, and with the Law Offices of Marvin Dang in 2020. These mergers extended the firm’s licensed reach well beyond California.
Office Locations and States Served
The current Nelson Kennard law offices are headquartered at 5011 Dudley Boulevard, Building 250 Bay G, in McClellan, California, a few miles from Sacramento. An earlier Sacramento address on Harvard Street also appears in older court filings and complaint databases.
Today, Nelson and Kennard attorneys are licensed to collect debts in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, New Mexico, Hawaii, Nevada, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma. If you live in any of these states and received a letter or lawsuit referencing the firm, this is the entity behind it.
What Nelson and Kennard Attorneys Actually Do
People often ask whether Nelson and Kennard is a law firm or a debt collector. The honest answer is both. The firm practices law, but its core business is third-party debt collection on behalf of creditors and debt buyers. That dual role matters, because it means the firm is subject to attorney conduct rules and to federal debt collection law at the same time.
Consumer and Commercial Collections
The firm handles consumer collections such as credit card debt, personal loans, and retail accounts, along with commercial collections for businesses chasing unpaid invoices or contracts.
Auto Loan Deficiency Balances and Repossession
A large part of the firm’s original practice, and still a major focus, involves auto loan deficiency balances. If your car was repossessed and sold for less than what you owed, Nelson and Kennard may pursue you for the remaining balance. The firm also handles replevin actions, which are court orders demanding the return of financed property, typically vehicles.
Credit Card and Consumer Debt Collection
Nelson Kennard debt collection work includes both original creditor accounts and purchased debt, where a third party buys old, charged-off accounts from a bank for pennies on the dollar and then attempts to collect the full balance.
Creditor Representation in Bankruptcy
When a debtor files for bankruptcy, creditors need legal representation to protect their claims. Nelson and Kennard represents creditors in these proceedings, filing proofs of claim and, where appropriate, objecting to discharge of certain debts.
Judgment Enforcement
Once a court issues a judgment in favor of a creditor, collecting on it is a separate legal process. Nelson and Kennard pursues judgment enforcement tools such as wage garnishment and bank account levies when a debtor doesn’t pay voluntarily.
Why You Might Be Hearing From Nelson and Kennard
There are usually three ways people first come into contact with this firm.
The most common is a collection letter, sometimes called a dunning letter, informing you that an account has been placed with the firm for collection. The second is a phone call, which can come from an automated system or a live representative. The third, and the most serious, is a court summons and complaint, meaning you are being sued.
It’s worth saying clearly: being contacted by Nelson and Kennard does not automatically mean the debt is valid, accurate, or even yours. Debt gets sold multiple times, account numbers get mismatched, and amounts get inflated with fees that aren’t always legally collectible.
What to Do If You Receive a Nelson and Kennard Lawsuit
Getting served with a lawsuit from Nelson and Kennard attorneys is stressful, but panicking leads to the worst outcomes. Here’s a practical breakdown of what to do.
You Have a Strict Deadline to Respond
In most states, you have between 20 and 30 days from the date you were served to file a written Answer with the court. This is not a suggestion. If you miss the deadline, the court can enter a default judgment against you automatically, even if you had a valid defense.
Check the Summons for Errors
Carefully review the paperwork for the name of the original creditor, the account number, and the amount claimed. High volume collection litigation sometimes produces errors, such as listing the wrong original creditor or an incorrect balance. This has actually been the subject of federal litigation involving this firm.
Request Debt Validation in Writing
Under federal law, you have the right to demand that the collector prove you owe the debt before continuing collection activity. Send this request in writing, ideally by certified mail, and keep a copy for your records.
Know What Happens If You Ignore It
If you don’t respond and the court enters a default judgment, the creditor can pursue wage garnishment or freeze your bank account. In many states, judgments also accrue interest for years, so the amount owed can grow substantially if left unaddressed.
If you’re unsure how to respond to a summons, consider consulting with a consumer attorney, your state’s legal aid organization, or a licensed credit counselor before your deadline passes.
Your Rights Under the FDCPA
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, commonly known as the FDCPA, is the federal law that governs how debt collectors, including collection law firms like Nelson and Kennard, can treat consumers. The law applies whether or not you actually owe the debt in question.
Under the FDCPA, debt collectors generally cannot:
Call you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. in your time zone, contact you at work after you’ve said your employer doesn’t allow it, use threatening or abusive language, misrepresent the amount or status of a debt, or continue collection efforts after you’ve sent a valid debt validation request until they provide proof.
You can read more about the full scope of consumer protections under this law on Wikipedia’s overview of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
Most collection notices from Nelson and Kennard include a disclosure stating the firm is a debt collector attempting to collect a debt, and that any information obtained will be used for that purpose. This disclosure is required by law, not optional courtesy language.
Legal Cases Involving Nelson and Kennard
Like many high volume collection law firms, Nelson and Kennard has faced federal litigation over its practices. The most notable is Tourgeman v. Nelson & Kennard, a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals case centered on a debt collection lawsuit in which the original creditor was allegedly misidentified in the summons. The case became a frequently cited example of how misstatements in collection paperwork can potentially constitute an FDCPA violation, even when made unintentionally during high volume processing.
Other civil cases, including Pasquale v. Law Offices of Nelson & Kennard and Takano v. Nelson & Kennard, have also been filed in federal court, generally raising similar questions about collection notices and compliance with federal debt collection standards. Court records for these and similar cases are publicly searchable through federal court databases such as PACER or legal research sites like Justia.
None of this means every letter from the firm is improper. It does mean the paperwork deserves a careful read rather than an automatic assumption that everything listed is accurate.
Nelson and Kennard Reviews, Complaints, and BBB Rating
Nelson and Kennard holds a Better Business Bureau profile with an A rating, and the BBB lists the firm’s founding date, address, and complaint history. Complaints filed with the BBB and consumer advocacy sites commonly cite issues such as persistent letters on old or disputed balances, confusion over which entity actually owns the debt, and difficulty getting clear answers about payment amounts.
It’s worth noting that the BBB rating reflects how a business responds to complaints, not a guarantee of service quality or legal compliance. A business can hold a high rating while still generating numerous consumer disputes, particularly in the collections industry where friction with consumers is built into the business model.
If you’re researching Nelson Kennard reviews before responding to a letter, cross reference what you find on BBB with case filings on Justia or PACER, since those give a more complete picture than star ratings alone.
How to Make a Payment to Nelson and Kennard
If you’ve confirmed the debt is valid and decide to pay, the firm offers a few options.
Online Payment Portal
Nelson and Kennard provides an online payment portal linked from its official website, allowing debtors to pay by card or bank transfer without calling in.
Mail or Phone Payment
You can also send payment by mail to the firm’s McClellan, California office, or call the office directly to arrange payment over the phone.
Verify Before You Pay
Before sending any money, get the settlement or payment arrangement in writing. Verbal promises from a representative are not enforceable if there’s a dispute later. Ask for written confirmation of the amount, how it will be reported, and whether the account will be marked paid in full or settled.
Nelson and Kennard Contact Information
The firm’s current contact details, according to its official website, are as follows.
Mailing address: 5011 Dudley Boulevard, Building 250 Bay G, McClellan, CA 95652
Office phone: (866) 920-2295
TTY line: Dial 711 to connect to (916) 920-2295
Fax: (916) 920-0682
If you need to dispute a debt, request validation, or ask about a payment plan, put your request in writing and send it to this address, keeping a copy for your own records.
Common Mistakes People Make When Dealing With Nelson and Kennard
A few mistakes come up repeatedly in consumer complaints and legal forums.
Ignoring a lawsuit summons because it feels overwhelming is the costliest mistake, since it almost guarantees a default judgment. Giving out bank account or employer information over the phone before verifying the debt is another common misstep, since it can make wage garnishment or account levies easier if a judgment follows. Paying a partial settlement without getting written confirmation first can also backfire, since a verbal agreement is hard to prove later. Finally, assuming the statute of limitations has expired without checking your state’s specific rules can lead people to accidentally restart the clock by making a partial payment or even acknowledging the debt in writing.
Tips for Handling a Collection Letter From Nelson and Kennard
Respond to any written notice within 30 days if you want to dispute it, since this preserves your right to demand validation before further collection activity.
Always communicate in writing, by mail or email, rather than relying on phone conversations you can’t document.
Check your state’s statute of limitations on debt before doing anything, since paying on a time barred debt can sometimes revive the creditor’s right to sue.
Keep every piece of correspondence, including envelopes with postmarks, since timing can matter in a legal dispute.
Talk to a consumer protection attorney if the amount is large or you’re unsure about your legal options. Many offer free consultations for debt collection defense cases, and some can represent you without upfront fees if the collector violated the FDCPA.
Frequently Asked Questions
Final Thoughts
Nelson and Kennard is a real, decades old collection law firm with legal standing to pursue debts on behalf of creditors across several states. That doesn’t mean you should take every notice at face value or let fear push you into paying before verifying what’s actually owed.
Read every letter carefully, respond to lawsuits before the deadline, request validation in writing, and don’t hesitate to get legal advice if the amount is significant. Handled correctly, a notice from Nelson and Kennard is a manageable situation rather than a crisis.
Sources
- https://www.nelson-kennard.com/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Debt_Collection_Practices_Act
- https://www.bcgsearch.com/bestlawfirms/K7VJ8/Nelson-and-Kennard-Attorneys-At-Law/rankings
- https://lemberglaw.com/nelson-kennard-nk-collections-complaints-calls/
- https://www.avvo.com/attorneys/robert-kennard-367038.html
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