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Readers reach this page with three different names in hand. Some have a citation naming Couch Lambert, LLC. Others have an older letter from Couch Conville & Blitt. Others only have an email or web address ending in gulfsouthlegal.com. All three point to the same multi-state collection law firm, which has two Texas offices. Here is how to match the name on your papers, confirm the case, and protect your deadline.
Free Case Evaluation(214) 945-0000
Matching the Name on Your Papers
- Couch Lambert, LLC is the current name. A notice on the firm's website says that on January 1, 2021, the firm changed its name to Couch Lambert LLC.
- Couch Conville & Blitt is the earlier name. The firm's home page describes Couch Lambert as "formerly known as Couch Conville & Blitt."
- GulfSouth is not a separate company that we could find. It is the firm's web domain: its website is gulfsouthlegal.com, and the email addresses it publishes, such as [email protected], use that domain.
So a 2019 lawsuit may show the Conville & Blitt name, a newer one will show Couch Lambert, and an email may only show the GulfSouth domain. A name change by itself is not a defect in a case. It does mean you should search the docket for "Couch" so every version appears.
Texas Debt Law is not affiliated with Couch Lambert, LLC, Couch Conville & Blitt or GulfSouth.
What the Firm Says It Does
On its practice page, the firm describes itself as focused on legal collections and creditors' rights, with attorneys licensed in Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. Its consumer collections section says it handles credit card, student loan, installment loan, automobile deficiency and other retail claims for originating creditors, servicers, assignees and secondary purchasers. It also lists commercial collections, replevin and other collateral-lending work, and defense of creditors against FDCPA and FCRA claims. The site states: "Our office is a debt collector." It does not publish a client list, and the plaintiff named in your petition is the party suing you.
Its Texas Offices and Records
- Offices. The firm's offices page lists a Houston office at 6200 Savoy Dr., Suite 800, Houston, TX 77036, phone (713) 952-1700, and a Dallas office at 9330 LBJ Freeway, Offices 919 & 921, Dallas, TX 75243, phone (972) 367-4499. Its toll-free number is (866) 282-3853, and its managing partner's office is in Metairie, Louisiana.
- Texas-licensed lawyers. The firm's attorney page lists lawyers licensed in Texas, including a senior associate it describes as a Texas litigator in state and federal courts. You can look up any lawyer who signed your petition in the State Bar of Texas directory.
- State records. The Texas Comptroller's franchise tax records list Couch Lambert LLC, with a Metairie, Louisiana address and a Texas Secretary of State file date of April 1, 2013.
Confirm the Case Yourself
Scammers sometimes copy real law firm names and web addresses. Check before you pay:
- Look up the cause number on the county's official records site, or call the clerk of the court named on your citation using a number from the county's website.
- If you call the firm, use a number from its official offices page, listed above.
- Confirm that any payment link is on the firm's own site, not a link from an unexpected text.
Email, Texts and Your Consent
The firm's website invites consumers to authorize email communication, and its contact form says that giving a mobile number or email address counts as consent to be contacted there. You don't have to use those channels. Under Regulation F, a collector that emails or texts you must give you a clear way to opt out of those messages (12 C.F.R. § 1006.6(e)), and call frequency is limited by a seven-calls-in-seven-days presumption (§ 1006.14). Our Regulation F update explains the limits. None of this changes a court deadline. Only a filed answer protects you from a default.
Your Deadline to Answer
- Justice court (claims up to $20,000, Government Code Section 27.031): the answer is due by the end of the 14th day after service (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 502.5).
- County or district court: the answer is due by 10:00 a.m. on the Monday after 20 days from service (Rule 99(b)).
Use our answer deadline calculator to get the exact date.
What the Plaintiff Has to Prove
The plaintiff must connect you to the account, prove the agreement and its terms, show default, and prove the balance after every payment and credit. Because the firm says it represents assignees and secondary purchasers, check who the plaintiff is. If it is not the company you originally dealt with, it must also show a chain of assignments that reaches your account. Our Q&A on standing in debt buyer cases explains why that matters.
Defenses by Type of Claim
- Credit cards and installment loans. Compare the petition to your records. Identity theft, payments not credited, and unexplained fees are all issues to raise.
- Car deficiencies. After a repossession, the lender generally must send notice before selling the vehicle and must sell it in a commercially reasonable manner (Business and Commerce Code Sections 9.610 and 9.611). How the sale was handled can affect what is owed; see car deficiency suits.
- Limitations. Texas generally allows four years to sue on a debt (Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.004), and a debt buyer cannot sue on time-barred consumer debt (Finance Code Section 392.307).
- Summary judgment. In county and district court, for motions filed on or after March 1, 2026, your response is due 21 days after the motion is filed (Rule 166a).
Your Rights Under the FDCPA
A law firm that regularly collects consumer debts through litigation is generally a "debt collector" under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (Heintz v. Jenkins, 514 U.S. 291 (1995)). You can dispute the debt in writing within the 30-day validation window (15 U.S.C. § 1692g), the firm may not make false or misleading statements (§ 1692e), and once it knows you have a lawyer it generally must communicate with your lawyer instead of you (§ 1692c(a)(2)). If a collector breaks these rules, the claim is a separate federal lawsuit, not part of your defense, and a separate service; see our FDCPA attorneys page.
How Texas Debt Law Can Help
We defend Texans in debt suits statewide, mostly by phone, email and e-filing. For cases near the firm's Texas offices, see our Houston page or Dallas page; elsewhere, see our Texas debt defense overview. We check your deadline, file your answer, require the plaintiff to prove its case, and negotiate when that is in your interest. Post-judgment work uses the same flat fees. Phones are answered seven days a week, we speak Spanish, and payment plans are available.
| Amount of the Lawsuit | Our Flat Legal Fee | Payment Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $1,000 | $400 | Up to 2 months |
| $1,001 – $3,000 | $500 | Up to 2 months |
| $3,001 – $5,000 | $750 | Up to 3 months |
| $5,001 – $7,500 | $1,000 | Up to 4 months |
| $7,501 – $10,000 | $1,250 | Up to 6 months |
| $10,001 – $12,500 | $1,500 | Up to 6 months |
| $12,501 – $15,000 | $1,750 | Up to 6 months |
| $15,001 – $20,000 | $2,000 | Up to 6 months |
| Over $20,000 | Call for Pricing | |
Send a photo of your citation and petition or call (214) 945-0000. Results depend on the facts of each case.
Sources
- Couch Lambert, LLC: Home page (formerly known as Couch Conville & Blitt)
- Couch Lambert: January 1, 2021 name change notice
- Couch Lambert: Areas of Practice
- Couch Lambert: Offices
- Couch Lambert: Our Attorney Team
- Couch Lambert: Consumer Experience (debt collector disclosure, contact consent)
- Texas Comptroller: Active Franchise Tax Permit Holders (Couch Lambert LLC)
- Texas Secretary of State: Debt Collector Search (search "Couch")
- State Bar of Texas: Find a Lawyer directory
- 12 C.F.R. part 1006 (Regulation F)
- Texas Business and Commerce Code chapter 9 (secured transactions)
- Heintz v. Jenkins, 514 U.S. 291 (1995)
General information, not legal advice for your case.