The “Getting to Know” series is sponsored by Applied Innovation. Applied Innovation is helping to shape the future of accounts receivable management. Product development is driven by customer feedback, agency profitability and compliance and includes platforms addressing client portal access, document management, payment negotiation, Regulation E focused electronic payment authorizations and TCPA communication authorization platforms. Partner with a company who understands your business challenges and evolves to provide cutting edge technology to overcome those challenges and achieve success.
Being able and willing to think of non-traditional or creative solutions, often referred to as thinking outside the box, is almost always a trait you find in people who are successful. Dale Golden is more evidence of that. Dale has become one of the most respected and sought-after attorneys in the accounts receivable management industry, in large part because of his ability to solve tough problems. Read on to learn more about Dale and why you may never want to try and bother him on a Tuesday afternoon.
Name: Dale Golden
Job Title: Attorney/Owner Golden Scaz Gagain, PLLC, Attorney/Owner The Compliance Law Firm, PLLC
Company: Golden Scaz Gagain, PLLC; The Compliance Law Firm, PLLC
Length of Time at Current Company: Founded Golden Scaz, PLLC, in 2007. I have been with the firm since that time. Founded The Compliance Law Firm, PLLC, in May 2021.
Length of Time in Industry: I’ve been representing members of the ARM industry since 1996.
How did you get your start in the industry?
I was working at an insurance defense firm in Tampa after graduating law school. An insurance carrier hired the firm to defend a collection agency, and that file was handed to the first-year associate (me). A few years later, I met Barb Sinsley and she was gracious enough to not only show me the ropes, but bequeath me her FDCPA practice when she went in-house at a debt buyer.
What is your career highlight so far?
In 2016 I received the Jonathon Elliott Award from ACA for my legal work on behalf of the industry. Jonathan had passed away prior to the 2016 convention, so 2016 was the first year the award was given in his honor. Having known and worked with Jonathan made receiving the award that much more special for me.
When or how are you most productive?
I tend to formulate my best ideas when I doing something other than working/lawyering. When I’m at the gym or a game, my mind tends to relax and good ideas seem to form. But I don’t always write them down immediately, so some have been lost along the way.
Which industry professional do you admire most?
While she doesn’t work “in the industry,” I’ve always admired Robbie Malone, a great FDCPA lawyer friend from Texas. She’s an absolute spitfire, incredibly successful, yet so down-to-earth. I’m so glad that we got to work on the same side because I’d never want to face her in court.
What is one thing you do better than everyone else?
Maybe not “better than everyone else”, but I’m really good at solving problems and thinking outside the proverbial box. These qualities have allowed me to provide quality legal services to me clients regardless of their desired outcome, whether it be to fight or try to settle early.
What do you like most about this industry?
The collegial atmosphere in the industry is great. Whether at the defense counsel or company owner level, there’s a genuine respect for others and a real willingness to share ideas — even amongst others vying for the same clientele. That’s not something that exists in other circles, in my experience.
What is one thing you wish you could change about this industry?
While some clients are confident when talking about the ARM industry, it seems others are a bit sheepish about working at a collection agency. One of my clients had this compliance guy that testified at deposition and in court that at parties he proudly told others that he was a debt collector. He would then proceed to outline how much money the ARM industry recovers for creditors on an annual basis and the impact that recovery has on the cost of credit for the rest of us. Lawyers that don’t handle FDCPA cases always ask me how it’s possible to even contemplate taking one of these cases to trial. I tell them that we have an advantage that most trial lawyers don’t: we (and our jurors) know none of us would be in the courtroom if the plaintiff had just paid his bills. When you have jurors that are missing a day of work waitressing at Waffle House or have to make arrangements to pick up the kids from school, that becomes a strong issue. And it’s one reason we’ve been so successful in trying FDCPA cases. Be proud!
Describe a typical work day.
It’s different today than just two months ago because of The Compliance Law Firm’s creation of a process that we believe provides a strong defense to “Hunstein” claims. Now I’m spending a great deal of time responding to inquiries about our product from industry professionals across the country. We’re also constantly re-examining our product to determine whether we need to make tweaks to provide greater protection for our client. In my spare time, I’m still doing my best to keep the wolves from my clients’ doors. That’s a never-ending battle.
If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?
I’d like to think I’d be solving problems in some other arena, but I’d probably be working for someone else and absolutely miserable. Or I’d be representing clients that have no interest in me as a person.
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What is your guilty pleasure?
Watching The Lord of the Rings movies — especially with my daughter. Nothing better than a 3-hour movie break on a Tuesday afternoon.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Everyone else is scared sh*tless, too. So stop whining.
What are you currently reading?
The Hobbit, Carl Jung’s autobiography.
What is one fact you’d like everyone in the industry to know about you?
I’m the first person on my mom’s side of the family to ever go to college. And I have three older brothers/sisters and probably 15 cousins that are older than me. I’m one generation from the farm on both my mom’s and dad’s sides. That’s always kept me grounded.
Who else would you like to see answer these questions?
Kevin Underwood.
The “Getting to Know” series is sponsored by Applied Innovation. Applied Innovation is helping to shape the future of accounts receivable management. Product development is driven by customer feedback, agency profitability and compliance and includes platforms addressing client portal access, document management, payment negotiation, Regulation E focused electronic payment authorizations and TCPA communication authorization platforms. Partner with a company who understands your business challenges and evolves to provide cutting edge technology to overcome those challenges and achieve success.
