Collecting on a Judgment

[Lerose]

Hello,
An acquaintance owed me money and I hired a lawyer, took the individual to court and received a judgment. The acquaintance was also ordered to pay attorney fees. The problem is that my attorney will be starting another job next month and can no longer help me on this case.
Do I need to find another attorney to be able to garnish the wages or is this something I could do on my own since I have a judgment?
This case was in Illinois.

Thanks,
Lerose

 

[ondeadlin]

Call your local law schools.

One of them will have a clinic, where the law students do pro bono work on simple cases to learn.

This is a very simple matter. They will be able to take care of it for you for free. If it works, and you're grateful, you can donate a small amount to the clinic to help it operate (and get a tax deduction).

 

[MRSFUSSY]

?????

If I remember correctly, just because you "won" a judgement doesn't necessarily mean that you are going to collect anything. Insolvency has a way of getting in the way.

 

[ondeadlin]

If the party against whom the judgment was made has A) property in the state; or B) a job, you can easily have your judgment enforced.

 

[Wonka]

LeRose-

I'm no legal expert, but I won a small claims lawsuit against a contractor that built our cabin in Minnesota ($10,000).

My lawyer was able to find a bank account of the contractor from documents I provided, froze the bank account using the judgment, and I had the money in no time at all.

If that didn't work, my understanding was the sheriff can seize assets.