Gurstel Law Firm: Who They Are and Your Rights

Type

Collection law firm

Also known as

Gurstel Law Firm, P.C.; Gurstel

Headquarters

Golden Valley, MN

Collects

credit card debt, auto loan deficiencies and replevins, equipment finance debt, healthcare, retail and telecom accounts

Phone numbers it lists

(877) 344-4002

Website

gurstel.com

286 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Gurstel Law Firm, P.C. from November 13, 2023 to November 12, 2026. A complaint is a consumer's account, not a finding that the company broke the law. Read the complaints in the CFPB database.

Who Is Gurstel Law Firm?

Gurstel Law Firm, P.C. is a creditors' rights law firm founded in 1997 in Minneapolis by its chief executive, Todd Gurstel. Its headquarters is at 6681 Country Club Drive in Golden Valley, Minnesota, and it lists offices in Arizona, California (Sacramento and Fullerton), Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah and Wisconsin. The firm says it practices in nine states: Arizona, California, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Gurstel states on its website that it is "a law firm with a primary business purpose of debt collection." It lists a California debt collection license (#10361-99) and NMLS ID 2249580, and says it is part of a family of companies certified by the Receivables Management Association International.

Why Gurstel Law Firm May Be Contacting You

Gurstel collects for creditors through demand letters, lawsuits and post-judgment enforcement. Its website lists auto replevins and deficiencies, credit card collections and equipment finance among its services, and says its consumer clients include financial institutions, healthcare providers, retailers and telecom companies.

A Gurstel letter usually means a creditor has referred an unpaid account to the firm, and a lawsuit may follow if the account isn't resolved. The firm's consumer line is (877) 344-4002, and it says it also takes texts and walk-in payments at several offices.

How to Check a Debt Gurstel Says You Owe

A letter from a law firm can arrive shortly before a lawsuit, so act on it quickly.

• Read the validation notice and calendar the dispute deadline. The notice must name the creditor and itemize the balance (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34). A timely written dispute requires the firm to pause collection until it sends verification.
• Ask who the client is. Find out whether the firm represents the original lender or a debt buyer, and if a buyer, ask for the documents showing the transfer of your account.
• For a car loan, ask for the sale records. A deficiency balance depends on what the repossessed car sold for and the costs charged against it. Ask for the notice of sale and the post-sale accounting.
• Check the time limit for the state involved. If you live in Texas, the general limit to sue on a consumer debt is four years (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and debt buyers cannot sue on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Gurstel's states have their own limits.
• If you're served, don't miss the answer deadline. A default judgment can be entered if you don't respond in time.

What Gurstel Law Firm Can and Can't Do

Lawyers who regularly collect consumer debts, including by filing lawsuits, are "debt collectors" under the FDCPA (15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6); Heintz v. Jenkins, 514 U.S. 291 (1995)), and Gurstel describes debt collection as its primary business purpose.

• It may not sue you in a distant court; a collection suit must be filed where you live or where you signed the contract (15 U.S.C. § 1692i).
• It may not send letters implying an attorney reviewed your account if none meaningfully did (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(3)).
• It may not sue or threaten to sue on a time-barred debt (12 C.F.R. § 1006.26(b)).
• It may not seek fees, interest or costs that your contract or the law does not allow (15 U.S.C. § 1692f(1)).
• Collection remedies depend on the state. Texas does not allow wage garnishment for ordinary consumer debts (Tex. Const. art. XVI, § 28), and a judgment from another state must be filed in Texas before it can be enforced here.

If a Gurstel collection crossed these lines, see our Texas FDCPA attorneys page.

We Sue Debt Collectors That Break the FDCPA

Texas Debt Law files Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuits against debt collectors in federal court for consumers in Texas, California, Illinois, Georgia and Colorado. If Gurstel Law Firm or anyone collecting for it harassed you, misstated what you owe, threatened action it could not take, or told others about your debt, you may have a claim. A court can order a collector that violated the FDCPA to pay your actual damages, up to $1,000 in additional statutory damages, and your attorney's fees and costs (15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)). An FDCPA claim generally must be filed within one year of the violation (§ 1692k(d)), so keep your letters, call logs, voicemails and screenshots, and talk to us early. Texas residents may also have claims under the Texas Debt Collection Act. Learn more from our FDCPA attorneys.

Free FDCPA Case Review(214) 851-2250

Or start your free case evaluation online. No lawyer can promise a result; every claim depends on its facts and proof.

Sources

• Gurstel Law Firm: home page (practice areas)
• Gurstel Law Firm: About
• Gurstel Law Firm: History of the firm
• Gurstel Law Firm: Consumer debt collection
• Gurstel Law Firm: Contact us (offices)
• Heintz v. Jenkins, 514 U.S. 291 (1995) (Cornell LII)
• CFPB enforcement actions search
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Gurstel Law Firm, P.C., debt collection

This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Gurstel Law Firm has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.