Quick Answer: Turnbull Law Group is a Chicago-based debt settlement company that charges 28% of your total enrolled debt in fees — far above the 7.5% cap Georgia law sets for debt relief companies. The firm claims a law firm exemption to sidestep that cap. The Georgia Attorney General’s consumer protection division has confirmed both Turnbull Law Group and Freedom Debt Relief — which answers Turnbull’s phones — are under active investigation. One Georgia consumer saved ~$4,000 by canceling her contract after learning about the fee structure through a news investigation.
Expert Context: I ran a credit counseling organization and watched debt settlement marketing corrupt good intentions from inside the industry. The “law firm exemption” angle is one of the oldest dodges in the settlement business — wrap the same fee structure in a retainer agreement and suddenly state consumer protection caps don’t apply. I’ve seen this playbook dozens of times. It doesn’t change whether the fee is good for the consumer.
Two Georgia consumers signed debt relief contracts with Turnbull Law Group. One paid $6,600 in fees on a $7,700 payment plan. The other canceled just in time — saving roughly $4,000 — after a news investigation exposed the fee structure. The Georgia Attorney General is now investigating.
Key Terms Defined
Georgia Debt Adjustment Act: A 2006 Georgia law that caps debt relief company fees at 7.5% of the negotiated monthly payment. It applies to companies that negotiate, adjust, or settle consumer debts for a fee.
Law Firm Exemption: A carve-out in the Georgia Debt Adjustment Act that says its fee cap does not apply “to those situations involving debt adjusting incurred in the practice of law in this state.” Turnbull Law Group argues this exemption covers their 28% fee structure because they are a licensed law firm.
Debt Settlement: A debt relief strategy where a company negotiates with creditors to accept less than the full balance owed. The consumer typically stops paying creditors while funds accumulate in a savings account, damaging their credit while the settlement process plays out.
Free Tool — Scam-O-Meter: Considering a debt relief company? Run your situation through the free Scam-O-Meter — it checks for official FTC, FBI, CFPB, and SEC warning signs before you hand over any money. Check for Red Flags →
What Is Turnbull Law Group?
Turnbull Law Group is a Chicago-based debt settlement company founded by attorney Christopher T. Turnbull. The firm is licensed in 37 states and claims to have helped 17,000 Georgians settle $380 million in personal debt, according to Atlanta News First. They market themselves as a law firm providing legal representation for clients in debt negotiations.
What makes Turnbull’s model legally contentious is the fee structure. Georgia’s Debt Adjustment Act caps debt relief fees at 7.5% of the negotiated monthly payment. Turnbull charges 28% of the total original debt — 4.5% as a legal retainer and 23.5% for “non-legal law-related services” — and claims the law firm exemption in the Georgia act lets them do it.
There’s another layer: when you call Turnbull Law Group, the phone is answered by Freedom Debt Relief, a separate company. Turnbull describes Freedom as a “third-party service provider” handling “non-legal, administrative functions.” The Georgia Attorney General is investigating both companies.
How the 28% fee plays out: If you enroll $14,000 in debt — like Victoria Walker did — Turnbull collects $3,920 in fees before negotiating a single account. On $100,000 in debt, the fee is $28,000, regardless of how much your balances are ultimately reduced. Under Georgia’s 7.5% cap, the same $100,000 debt would max out at roughly $7,500 in fees. The difference is $20,500 — taken from the consumer, not the creditor.
What Georgia Consumers Experienced
Consumer 1 (unnamed, Dec 2025): A metro Atlanta woman and her husband fell behind on credit card payments after relocating. She found Turnbull Law Group through a Google search and signed a 28% contract. Over several months, she paid $7,700 — of which approximately $6,600 went to Turnbull’s fees. She filed complaints with the Georgia Attorney General, the Illinois State Bar, and the State Bar of Georgia. She also canceled her Turnbull contract after the fee structure became clear, according to Georgia Watch. Turnbull later settled with her for an undisclosed refund.
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Victoria Walker (March 2026): An IT analyst between jobs, Walker accumulated $14,000 in debt from medical bills and credit card expenses. She signed a Turnbull contract after finding the company online. During the entire engagement, she spoke to her assigned attorney exactly once — during the intake call. She never heard from the attorney again. When she saw the Atlanta News First investigation about the first consumer, she canceled her contract. That decision saved her an estimated $4,000 in fees she would otherwise have paid. (Source: Atlanta News First, March 10, 2026)
“I have no idea how much work the attorney did,” Walker told Atlanta News First. “I spoke to that attorney one time on the intake or phone call and never heard anything else from her.”
The Georgia Attorney General Investigation
A spokesperson for the Georgia Attorney General’s consumer protection division confirmed to Atlanta News First that both Turnbull Law Group and Freedom Debt Relief are under a pending investigation. The spokesperson declined further comment. No charges have been filed and no enforcement action has been announced as of the publication of this post.
Liz Coyle, executive director of Georgia Watch, a consumer advocacy organization, was direct about what these fee structures do to consumers in debt: “These law firms that claim that they’re going to help people get out of debt … almost certainly they’re making those people’s lives significantly worse, leaving them in even more debt and worse because their business model is to encourage the consumer to stop paying the creditor.”
Christopher Turnbull declined an on-camera interview with Atlanta News First. Freedom Debt Relief said in a statement it “provides non-legal administrative services to Turnbull Law Group and its clients by providing administrative and customer service support, including answering and routing calls.”
What I Think About This Fee Structure
The law firm exemption argument is technically available — Georgia’s Debt Adjustment Act does have a carve-out for the practice of law. But “technically available” and “good for the consumer” are different questions.
What the 28% structure does in practice: it’s not calculated on a monthly payment, it’s calculated on your total enrolled debt up front. That means the fee is largely collected whether the debts are settled well or poorly. The incentive is enrollment, not outcome. I watched a version of this dynamic from inside a credit counseling organization for years — the business model shapes behavior whether anyone intends it to or not.
The Marketing Claim: “We’re a law firm, so you get legal protection other debt relief companies can’t provide.”
The Documented Reality: Victoria Walker spoke to her assigned attorney exactly once — at intake. The phone is answered by Freedom Debt Relief, not Turnbull attorneys. The Georgia Attorney General is investigating. “Law firm” branding in debt relief marketing frequently functions as a fee justification device, not a service differentiator.
Your Alternatives Before Signing Anything
Before enrolling in any debt settlement program — especially one with fees this high — consider these steps:
- Try negotiating directly first. Liz Coyle of Georgia Watch and I both agree on this: creditors negotiate with consumers directly, often for similar results at no fee cost. A charged-off account is often negotiable at 40–60 cents on the dollar without any middleman.
- Check the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. Free and nonprofit credit counseling is available at nfcc.org. These services will explain all your options without charging 28% of your debt as a prerequisite.
- Run any contract through the Contract Decoder first. If a company’s agreement is 10 pages of legal language, it’s designed to be hard to understand. The tool below can help.
- File a complaint if you’ve already signed. Georgia consumers can file with the GA Attorney General at consumer.georgia.gov. All consumers can file with the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.
Before You Sign Anything: If you’re considering hiring any debt settlement company — Turnbull Law Group or otherwise — run their contract through the Contract Decoder first. It’s free and will flag what the fine print actually commits you to before you’re locked in.
If you’re unsure which debt relief approach fits your specific situation, use the free Find Your Path quiz to get a personalized direction based on your debt type, income, and goals.
Key Takeaways
- Turnbull Law Group charges 28% of total enrolled debt — Georgia’s Debt Adjustment Act caps debt relief fees at 7.5%, but Turnbull claims a law firm exemption
- One Georgia consumer paid $6,600 in fees on $7,700 in payments; a second saved ~$4,000 by canceling after seeing news coverage
- The Georgia Attorney General has confirmed both Turnbull Law Group and Freedom Debt Relief are under a pending investigation
- Turnbull’s phones are answered by Freedom Debt Relief; consumers may speak to an assigned attorney only once (at intake)
- Christopher Turnbull declined on-camera interviews with Atlanta News First
- Before signing any debt relief contract, run it through the Contract Decoder and explore free alternatives through NFCC or direct creditor negotiation
The Bottom Line
Turnbull Law Group collects 28% of your total enrolled debt as fees, using a law firm exemption to sidestep Georgia’s 7.5% cap. The documented consumer experience shows fees dominating payments and attorney contact limited to a single intake call. The Georgia Attorney General has confirmed both Turnbull and its call-answering partner, Freedom Debt Relief, are under active investigation — though no enforcement action has been announced. If you’re in debt and considering a settlement company, do not sign anything until you’ve checked free alternatives (NFCC, direct negotiation) and run the contract through the Contract Decoder. Canceling before fees accumulate — as both Georgia consumers eventually did — is significantly easier than trying to recover money already paid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Turnbull Law Group legitimate or a scam?
Turnbull Law Group is a licensed law firm operating in 37 states, not an outright scam in the sense of a fake company. However, the Georgia Attorney General’s consumer protection division has confirmed the firm is under a pending investigation, and the fee structure — 28% of total enrolled debt — has drawn regulatory scrutiny and consumer complaints. Whether that fee structure is appropriate for your situation is a separate question from whether the firm exists legally.
Is Turnbull Law Group’s 28% fee legal in Georgia?
This is what the Georgia Attorney General investigation is examining. The Georgia Debt Adjustment Act caps debt relief fees at 7.5% of the negotiated monthly payment, but exempts “the practice of law.” Turnbull Law Group argues its law firm status makes the exemption apply to its 28% fee structure. The Georgia AG has not publicly resolved whether that argument is valid — the investigation is pending as of March 2026.
What is the connection between Turnbull Law Group and Freedom Debt Relief?
When consumers call Turnbull Law Group, the call is answered by Freedom Debt Relief employees. Turnbull describes Freedom as a third-party service provider handling non-legal administrative functions including “answering and routing calls.” Freedom Debt Relief is a separate, large national debt settlement company. Both Turnbull Law Group and Freedom Debt Relief are currently part of the Georgia Attorney General’s pending investigation.
How do I cancel a Turnbull Law Group contract?
Most debt settlement contracts include cancellation provisions, though the exact terms vary. Review your contract’s cancellation section first, then send a written cancellation request to Turnbull by certified mail and keep the tracking confirmation. Note that fees already collected may not be refundable — the first Georgia consumer documented here received an undisclosed partial refund only after escalating to the Georgia AG, the Illinois State Bar, and the State Bar of Georgia. If you’re in Georgia and want to report the experience, file with the GA Attorney General at consumer.georgia.gov.
What are better alternatives to Turnbull Law Group for debt relief?
Before engaging any paid debt settlement company, try two free paths: negotiate directly with your creditors (charged-off accounts are frequently settled directly at 40–60 cents on the dollar), or work with a nonprofit credit counselor through the National Foundation for Credit Counseling at nfcc.org. Nonprofit credit counseling organizations offer Debt Management Plans with much lower fees than the 28% structure documented at Turnbull — though even at those lower fees, a 3-5 year DMP still costs you retirement savings that discharging the debt in bankruptcy would not. If you’re unsure which path fits your situation, use the free Find Your Path quiz at GetOutOfDebt.org to identify your best option without any obligation.
Dealing With Debt? Understanding your options is the first step. See how all your debt relief options compare — including ones most sites won’t tell you about. The Find Your Path quiz gives a recommendation based on your actual numbers, and the Scam-O-Meter checks any company’s complaint history before you sign. Federal Reserve research shows bankruptcy filers recover faster than those who don’t file.
