Hello, everyone! I am new to this group, and I’m searching for help is fighting my student debt. I owe about $160000 to Sallie Mae, cosigned by my (now deceased) mother and my father, for a Music Education Bachelors at GMU.
My mother passed away in 2020 and I’ve been sorting through estate stuffs. I’m looking forward into my life and I think it’s important that I try to deal with this student debt, either by disputing or settling.
It’s kind of a big mess; left college with $86k because Sallie Mae wouldn’t fund my last two semesters, so I went home with no degree, couldn’t afford payments and here I am, ten years later and MUCH more in debt. We’re in the process of selling the house and I just want to live a normal life and not be running from this for the rest of my life.
So, I’m hoping that there’s a lawyer who will take on a bit of a complicated case (knowing that I want to CRUSH these motherfuckers for what they did to my family, especially my mother).
So, let’s talk. Can anyone recommend a solid lawyer? I’m located in New York, currently.
Glad to see people who are doing something about this. The whole thing is tremendously unjust.
Hi @buffalospiritgatheri, I’m so sorry you are dealing with this, and sorry to hear about your mother’s passing last year.
The National Consumer Law Center has a good guide to finding legal assistance for debts of various types, including private student loans.
In New York State Empire Justice does great work to help debtors. They might have income or other qualifications, but even if you don’t qualify they might be able to refer you to someone else who can assist you.
Settling is always an option, and it is great to get some legal advice first, but it also is something you can negotiate without a lawyer. Some of our members have completely on their own negotiated steep settlements. I am not a lawyer and I can’t give you legal or financial advice, but the one thing I would say about settlements is to start off aggressive. You can probably win a settlement for a lot less than you think, so don’t start out by offering a settlement too high!