Nelson & Kennard, LLP is a collection law firm based in McClellan, California. It collects auto loan deficiency balances, credit card debts and other consumer accounts for creditors, often through lawsuits.
- Type
- Collection law firm
- Also known as
- Nelson and Kennard, LLP; Nelson & Kennard, LLP
- Headquarters
- McClellan, CA
- Collects
- auto loan deficiency balances, credit cards, consumer loans, commercial accounts
- Phone numbers it lists
- (866) 920-2295
- Website
- nelson-kennard.com
95 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Nelson and Kennard, 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 Nelson & Kennard?
Nelson & Kennard, LLP calls itself "a full-service collection firm." According to its website, it began in 1986 as a partnership between Donald G. Nelson and Robert Scott Kennard. It later merged with The Law Offices of David A. Bauer, P.C. in 2016 and The Law Offices of Marvin Dang in 2020.
The firm's office is at 5011 Dudley Boulevard, Building 250, Bay G, McClellan, California 95652. Its listed phone number is (866) 920-2295, and TTY users can dial 711. The site lists California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, New Mexico, Hawaii, Nevada, Massachusetts and Oklahoma as the states it serves, and it says plainly that it is a debt collector attempting to collect a debt.
Why Nelson & Kennard May Be Contacting You
The firm lists the collection of automobile deficiency balances first among its practice areas. A deficiency is what a lender says is still owed after a repossessed car is sold. It also collects credit card balances, both for card issuers that place accounts directly and for companies that bought the debt, along with other consumer loans and commercial and mortgage-related accounts.
As a law firm, Nelson & Kennard may send a demand letter first or may file suit for its client. If you've been served, the plaintiff named in the complaint or petition is the creditor or debt buyer, and the firm is its lawyer. Court deadlines run on their own schedule, separate from any letter.
How to Check a Debt Nelson & Kennard Says You Owe
Auto deficiency and purchased credit card claims each have their own weak spots, so ask for the right papers.
- Read the validation notice. It must name the current creditor and break down the balance (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34). Dispute in writing before the deadline it states.
- For a car deficiency, ask for the sale records. Request the repossession and sale notices, the sale price and the fees subtracted. A low sale price or large charges make the deficiency bigger. See car deficiency suits after repossession.
- For a purchased card debt, ask who owns it. Ask for the bill of sale or assignment that connects your account to the current owner.
- Check the figures. Compare the charge-off balance, interest and fees against your last statements.
- Watch the limitations period. In Texas, most debt suits must be filed within four years (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and debt buyers may not sue on time-barred consumer debts (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). The states this firm works in have their own rules.
What Nelson & Kennard Can and Can't Do
Lawyers who regularly collect consumer debts, including through lawsuits, are debt collectors under the FDCPA (Heintz v. Jenkins, 514 U.S. 291 (1995)). For Nelson & Kennard, that means:
- It must sue you where you live or where you signed the contract (15 U.S.C. § 1692i).
- It may not claim interest, fees or costs the contract or law doesn't allow (15 U.S.C. § 1692f(1)).
- Its letters may not suggest a lawyer reviewed your file if none meaningfully did (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(3)).
- It may not call more than seven times in seven days about one debt (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)).
We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Nelson & Kennard. Read whether a collection law firm is a debt collector, or contact 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 Nelson & Kennard 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
- Nelson & Kennard: home page
- CFPB enforcement actions list (checked all pages)
- CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Nelson and Kennard, LLP, debt collection
This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Nelson & Kennard has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.