Collections firm reports 49% historical recovery rate on JP fines and fees

Jonathan Galli, an attorney from the firm's Lubbock office, presented a historical report on collections the firm handles for Scurry County justice courts. He said the county has historically turned over about $3.7 million in fines and fees and that the firm has collected roughly $1.8 million and disposed or cleared about $881,000, leaving a combined liquidated total of about $2.7 million.

Galli said the firm mailed more than 68,000 letters to defendants and made approximately 3,900 phone contacts in its collection efforts. "Forty‑nine percent has been paid in relation to our collection efforts," he said, calling that a strong performance compared with industry expectations of 35–40% for fines and fees. He explained the firm’s annual "case resolution campaign" (formerly called Warm Roundup) and described targeted postcard mailings and increased collection results for participating jurisdictions.

The attorney also explained operational differences between delinquent property-tax collection and fines-and-fees work, noting the county has stronger enforcement tools for property tax. He said the firm can perform address research that helps courts update defendant contact information. He answered commissioners’ questions about timing of turnover (cases typically turned over 60 days after an offense or after show‑cause hearings) and said the county pays none of the firm’s collection costs — fees are paid by defendants when recovered.

Galli offered to return later with a delinquent‑tax report and thanked the court for the opportunity to work with the justice courts. The court did not vote on a new contract at the meeting; Galli said the firm would provide a follow‑up report to the court before year’s end if requested.