United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office General Government Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1994-09-14 monographic deposited born digital GA 1.13:GGD-94-195 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GGD-94-195 P0b002ee18038d25f f:gg94195 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GGD-94-195 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GGD-94-195 GGD-94-195 Lawyers Debt collection Program evaluation Legal services contracts Cost effectiveness analysis Student loans Contract costs Government collections Delinquent loans Collection procedures DOJ Central Intake Facility Program DOJ Private Counsel Debt Collection Program Letter Report GGD

Under its private counsel debt collection program, the Justice Department has contracted with private counsel firms in a number of judicial districts to litigate and collect nontax delinquent civil debts. The purpose of the pilot program is to see whether private counsels can reduce civil case backlogs in U.S. Attorney offices and can cost-effectively collect such delinquent debts. GAO found that the program has generally been successful. Through September 1992, private counsel firms and U.S. Attorney offices participating in the pilot program in seven federal judicial districts collected $122.5 million in debt, at a total estimated cost of $5.3 million. GAO concludes that private counsel firms were cost effective in collecting nontax civil debt. Although U.S. Attorney offices collected more money than private counsel firms, the latter closed more cases at a lower unit cost. Private counsel firms helped work through the existing debt caseload, addressing both large numbers of the debt collect cases that were backlogged at the program's inception and later handling most of the newly referred cases. Most importantly, private counsel firms worked cases and collected debt that U.S. Attorney offices might not have otherwise addressed because of their workloads. In GAO's view, allowing Justice the option of contracting with private counsel firms to help with debt collection when necessary is a generally positive approach to addressing the civil debt collection problem. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GGD-94-195/html/GAOREPORTS-GGD-94-195.htm GAO/GGD-94-195 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GGD-94-195 Letter Report GAO/GGD-94-195; Civil Debt Collection: Justice's Private Counsel Pilot Program Should Be Expanded; Lawyers Debt collection Program evaluation Legal services contracts Cost effectiveness analysis Student loans Contract costs Government collections Delinquent loans Collection procedures DOJ Central Intake Facility Program DOJ Private Counsel Debt Collection Program Title 28 Section 3001et seq. 28 U.S.C. 3001et seq. Title 31 Section 3718 Title 31 Section 3718(b)(1)(A) 31 U.S.C. 3718 31 U.S.C. 3718(b)(1)(A) Volume 105 Page 1049 105 Stat. 1049 Volume 107 Page 1153 107 Stat. 1153 Public Law 99-578 Public Law 101-647 Public Law 102-164 Public Law 102-589 Public Law 103-121