Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP is an Austin, Texas law firm that collects delinquent accounts for cities, counties, school districts and state agencies. Its letters usually concern property taxes, court fines and fees, or toll charges.
- Type
- Collection law firm
- Also known as
- Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP; Linebarger; LGBS
- Headquarters
- Austin, TX
- Collects
- delinquent property taxes, court fines and fees, toll charges, state taxes
- Phone numbers it lists
- (512) 447-6675
- Website
- lgbs.com
273 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson LLP 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 Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson?
Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP is a law firm that began in Austin, Texas in 1976 collecting delinquent taxes. Its principal office is at 2700 Via Fortuna Drive, Suite 500, in Austin, and the number listed for that office is (512) 447-6675. According to the firm's own history, it opened its first office outside Texas in 1995, took on its first federal contract (with the U.S. Treasury) in 1997, and merged with San Antonio's Heard Goggan Blair & Williams in 1998. The firm now reports about 49 offices, 115 attorneys and roughly 2,600 public-sector clients. A subsidiary, Appraisal & Collection Technologies, runs tax-office software.
We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson.
Why Linebarger May Be Contacting You
Linebarger's clients are governments: cities, counties, school districts and state agencies. The firm lists these lines of work:
- delinquent property taxes, its core business since 1976;
- court fines and fees, such as unpaid traffic citations and parking tickets;
- toll charges and toll violations;
- state tax collection.
Since 2024 the firm has also used text and email outreach. A Linebarger letter about property taxes usually means a taxing unit has turned over a delinquent account, and its account-help page directs property-tax payers to the local tax office.
How to Check a Debt Linebarger Says You Owe
Government accounts follow their own rules, so start by identifying exactly what the charge is.
- Identify the agency. The letter should name the city, county, toll authority or court. Contact that agency directly to confirm the balance and any payment options.
- For property taxes, check the tax year, the property description and the appraised value against your records and the appraisal district. Penalties and interest on delinquent Texas taxes are set by statute, so ask the tax office how they were computed.
- For tolls and fines, ask for the dates, locations, citation numbers and plate number, and check whether you owned the vehicle at the time.
- Use the validation process where it applies. On accounts covered by the FDCPA, a validation notice is required and a timely written dispute pauses collection (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34).
- Time limits work differently here. The four-year Texas limit for consumer debts (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004) and the bar on debt-buyer suits over time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307) are written for ordinary consumer debts. Taxes and fines usually have their own statutes, and other states' rules differ, so get advice before assuming an old charge has expired.
What Linebarger Can and Can't Do
Lawyers who regularly collect consumer debts are "debt collectors" under the FDCPA (Heintz v. Jenkins, 514 U.S. 291 (1995)). The harder question with Linebarger is whether your account is a "debt" at all: the Act covers obligations arising from consumer transactions (15 U.S.C. § 1692a(5)). Courts have often held that property taxes and court-imposed fines fall outside that definition, while some toll and utility-type charges have been treated differently. Where the Act does apply:
- The firm may not falsely suggest that you will be arrested or jailed for nonpayment (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(4)).
- It may not add charges the law or agreement does not authorize (15 U.S.C. § 1692f(1)).
- Calls are limited by Regulation F's seven-in-seven presumption (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)).
See can a collector threaten arrest? or talk to our FDCPA attorneys.
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 Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson 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
- Linebarger: home page
- Linebarger: 50 years (firm history)
- Linebarger: Account Help
- CFPB enforcement actions search
- CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson LLP, debt collection
This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.