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Resolve Debt With Brown and Joseph

Sarah Edwards | January 29, 2024

Sarah Edwards
Legal Expert
Sarah Edwards, BS

Sarah Harris is a professional researcher and writer specializing in legal content. An Emerson College alumna, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the prestigious Boston institution.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Hannah Locklear
Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: Brown and Joseph, LLC is a debt collection agency based out of Illinois. If you’ve been contacted by Brown and Joseph, you’ll need to verify that the debt is yours before moving forward. If the debt is yours, use SoloSettle to negotiate a lower payment you can resolve the debt for less than what you owe.

Who or what is Brown and Joseph, LLC? The firm has been calling you almost daily, claiming that you owe past debt. Unfortunately, if Brown and Joseph is contacting you, it’s because they may be collecting on behalf of another creditor. But thankfully, you have options to resolve debt quickly and move past these repeated phone calls. Here’s how.

Sued by Brown and Joseph? Settle your debt.

Am I facing a Brown and Joseph, LLC scam?

Is Brown and Joseph a scam? Not at all. Brown and Joseph, LLC (DBA Recovery Partners) is a legitimate debt collection agency that’s been in operation since 1996. To be clear, you’re probably not being contacted by an attorney from Brown and Joseph, but it may hire a debt collection law firm to represent it.

In fact, the company’s website states that the internal collection law team maintains a network of debt law firms if a collections account goes long enough without payment that a lawsuit is warranted.

Who does Brown and Joseph collect for?

Brown and Joseph primarily collects for companies in the healthcare and insurance industries, but the agency also does collections for a variety of companies spanning other industries.

Contact Brown and Joseph, LLC

Brown and Joseph offers a contact form through the company website. You can also call the Brown and Joseph phone number, or reach out using the following info:

  • Phone: (847) 758-3000
  • Anonymous hotline: (800) 216-0587
  • Address: One Pierce Place Suite 700W, Itasca, IL 60143
  • Email: info@brownandjoseph.com

Below if a photo of the company’s main headquarters in Itasca:

What do Brown and Joseph reviews say about the company?

Despite being a legitimate business, Brown and Joseph, LLC still has a history of complaints. In fact, the company has an “F” rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), whose website also records 62 customer complaints. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) records 11 complaints.

Brown and Joseph reviews on Google earn the company an average 1.2 out of 5 stars. Check out some real reviews below:

According to these Brown and Joseph, LLC reviews, the company has been accused of contacting customers for illegitimate debt. That’s why your first move should be to ensure that the debt is, in fact, yours. Never pay a dime until a debt collector can conclusively tie you to a debt.

What should I do if I’ve been contacted by Brown and Joseph?

Anytime you’re contacted by a debt collector, you should try to do at least one of two things: assert your rights as a consumer and insist that the debt collector prove that the debt is rightfully yours.

Assert your rights

Start by asserting your rights as a consumer. Even if the debt is legitimate, no debt collector is allowed to engage in harassing behavior thanks to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). By law, you can report any debt collector that:

  • Calls you more than once each day.
  • Calls you prior to 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
  • Calls your friends, family, or coworkers about your debt.
  • Threatens you with arrest over unpaid debt.
  • Uses vulgar or offensive language.
  • Fails to identify themselves as a debt collector.
  • Calls you despite receiving a Cease and Desist letter.
  • Declines to validate your debt.

Do you believe that Brown and Joseph have violated any of these prohibitions? If so, document the incident, then report them to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) using the FTC website or by calling 877-382-4357. You can also report the company to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by calling 855-411-2372 or through the CFPB’s website.

Verify that the debt is yours

Debt collectors like to dial up the pressure to get you to admit that the debt is yours. Never agree to anything until the debt collector can prove — in writing — the following information:

  • The name of your original creditor.
  • The date you incurred the debt.
  • The amount of the original debt.
  • Your payment history (if applicable).
  • The amount of debt remaining.
  • Any evidence that ties you to the debt.

Asking for Brown and Joseph to validate your debt may cause them to back off. But if the debt is truly yours, you’ll need a strategy to resolve your debt once and for all.

Use SoloSuit’s Debt Validation Letter to verify that the debt is yours.

File an Answer with the court

Has Brown and Joseph actually sued you over past debt? You’ll need to file an Answer with the court to communicate your willingness to fight back. Act fast; some jurisdictions only give you two weeks to file an Answer before rendering a default judgment in favor of the debt collector.

SoloSuit lets you quickly draft and file an Answer so you can focus on resolving your debt without the court.

Use these tips to draft your Answer.

Resolve debt with Brown and Joseph, LLC

What happens if you genuinely owe a debt? Your best option is to negotiate a lower settlement. Most debt collectors are happy to accept a lower amount rather than go through a lengthy collection process or a lawsuit.

Use SoloSettle to start negotiating with Brown and Joseph. By using this platform, you’ll never have to deal directly with your debt collectors. Start by agreeing to pay 60% of the debt.

This will allow you to open negotiations with Brown and Joseph, and together, you can use SoloSettle to reach a mutually agreeable settlement amount. The point is that you’ll resolve your debt for less than what you currently owe, and you’ll only pay once you reach an official agreement and the debt is resolved.

Let’s take a look at what this process looks like.

Example: Abby had forgotten about her credit card debt — that is, until she started getting calls from Brown and Joseph. She soon realized that this was no scam and that she’d have to work fast to resolve the debt. So she turned to SoloSettle, using the platform to open negotiations with Brown and Joseph. After some back-and-forth with the company, she was able to settle her debt for less than the original amount, allowing her to save money while eliminating the need for further debt collection phone calls.


Kick off negotiations by using SoloSettle today.

Get started today

The sooner you take charge of your debt, the sooner you can move on. SoloSettle makes it easy to reach an affordable debt solution so you can resolve your debt and breathe easier.

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