Debt Relief / Lawyer / Option 1 Legal

Option 1 Legal Reviews: 3 Things to Know

Written by Ascend Team
Updated Jan 30th, 2024
1/29/2024 Update: Option 1 Legal was mentioned in the CFPB lawsuit against SFS for deceptive debt relief practices.

As such, I just shot this video. Please considering watching the video and then calling or texting me at 408-543-8617 if you have any questions about your options next.


Did you get a consolidation loan mailer where you didn't qualify for a loan, but qualified for Option 1 Legal? 

In the Option 1 Legal agreement, does it show that your fees are actually paid before making settlement?

Let’s go through the reviews.

Also, if you have been involved with Option 1 Legal, please consider calling me at 833-272-3631 as I am constantly adding more information to this article that can help other users.

Option 1 Legal Reviews

In my opinion, two of the most unbiased, holistic review sites are BBB reviews and complaints and Google reviews. It may tend to be a bit more negative, but it seems to be a source of information.

What I found surprising was that there was a civil complaint from the City of Chicago against Monarch Legal. Timothy Burnette who is the head of Monarch Legal is also the co-owner of Option 1 Legal. 


There is a complaint about the owner of Option 1

Has Your Credit Been Negatively Affected? What Are Good Debt Consolidation Alternatives?

You joined a debt consolidation program, and now you may have been sued for unpaid debt and your credit score may have plummeted. So, what are alternatives to debt consolidation? 

We built a free debt consolidation alternatives calculator below that compares cost, duration, and pros and cons of key debt consolidation alternatives.


So, what are the reviews?

BBB 

On BBB, Option 1 Legal currently has a 1.1 rating based on 30 reviews, and a F rating. When I see this, I wonder whether someone else is signing people up for Option 1 Legal, and that Option 1 Legal is not doing direct marketing.


Option 1 Legal have an F rating on BBB.

One review mentions that the individual paid $17,000 over 42 months but that Option 1 Legal only settled two accounts totaling to only $5000. This left the client questioning where the other $12,000 went. Another individual stated that their initial debt was $5,500 but after enrolling the debt with Option 1 Legal, the debt ended up going up to $11,000 because of “the incompetence of Option 1 Legal”. Both of these reviews warn people to not work with the legal group as they believe it is a scam.

An Option 1 BBB review discussing how they are a scamAnother Option 1 Legal BBB review saying they are the worst company to work with

Google 

On Google, Option 1 Legal has a 1.6 rating based on 41 reviews.

Similar to the BBB reviews, some of the Google reviews warn others not to use this company. One individual states that after paying $13,000 to the savings account, there was only $2000 left after the legal group took out fees. Another mentions that the legal group had poor communication and did actually provide any services, instead just took their fees from the payments.

An Option 1 Legal Google review warning to not use their service

Another Option 1 Legal 1 star Google review saying they do not communicate

So, What is Option 1 Legal?

Option 1 Legal appears to be a debt relief law firm that is pitching debt settlement. I wouldn’t be surprised if Option 1 Legal was tied to a much bigger organization as it appears that there are more of these firms that have similarities. 

When I look at these companies, I like to understand how old the website is and see any information I can about the company.

What I found interesting is that Option 1 Legal's website (per Wayback machine) has the first website pull from August 18, 2020. This does not mean it's a new company, but it may means that the website has not been around for a very long time.

Option 1 Legal per wayback machine

Your Options

Firstly, if you’d like to cancel, you may be able to contact the company directly, but you may also have to call your bank to get assistance if they do not allow you to cancel the program easily.

If you have any other things to add to this article, please consider contacting me at 833-272-3631. I’d love to hear about your experience.

If you would like to stay with Option 1 Legal, you may want to read the Client Services Agreement in its entirety. If they are taking out fees before settlement, why are they doing that? What are they actually doing for you and what’s the percentage fee they charge?