A letter -- or worse, a court summons -- from Zakheim & LaVrar is unsettling, and it is meant to get your attention. The short version: this is a real, long-operating Florida law firm, not a scam. The useful version is the playbook below, because a law firm that sues is a different animal from an ordinary collection agency, and the deadlines are unforgiving.
Short answer
Yes, Zakheim & LaVrar, P.A. is a genuine, licensed collection law firm in Plantation, Florida. It represents original creditors and debt buyers and it files suit on charged-off consumer accounts. Being real does not mean the specific claim against you is correct, current, or provable -- and because this firm litigates, the most important thing you can do is respond in writing to any court paper by its deadline. Like any high-volume collector, it has drawn consumer complaints, but that does not make it illegitimate.
Who they are
Zakheim & LaVrar is a law firm whose practice includes consumer-debt collection litigation, with the Zakheim name as the managing attorney lineage. It has represented major card issuers and also collects for companies that buy portfolios of defaulted debt. A key wrinkle here is naming: the same Florida lineage appears as "Zakheim & LaVrar, P.A.," "Zakheim & Associates, P.A.," and "Zakheim Law Group, P.A.," and the name is frequently misspelled "Zakeim." Treat them as the same family of entities, but read your own paperwork carefully -- confirm the exact registered name and address printed on your letter or summons, because a different registered name can matter when you draft your written responses and address them correctly.
Summons first: answer in writing by the deadline
Because Zakheim & LaVrar is a law firm that sues, the risk is not just phone calls -- it is a lawsuit ending in a judgment. If you are served in Florida, you have a limited number of days to file a written answer with the court. Do it. An answer preserves your defenses (wrong amount, wrong party, time-barred, not your account) and forces the plaintiff to prove its case. Ignoring the summons is what hands them a default judgment, and in Florida a judgment can be enforced through wage garnishment or a bank levy. Keep every envelope, and note the date you were served -- your clock starts then. See how to respond to a debt collection lawsuit and what happens if you ignore one.
Validation and chain of title
An attorney who regularly collects debts is still a "debt collector" under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act -- being a law firm does not exempt them. That means you retain your right to demand validation in writing, ideally within the 30-day window after their first contact. Ask for the name of the original creditor and an itemized balance. If the plaintiff is a debt buyer rather than your original bank, demand proof of the chain of title -- documentation showing the named plaintiff actually owns your exact account. High-volume portfolios change hands repeatedly, and a firm cannot recover on an account it cannot prove it owns.
The statute of limitations and the restart trap
Every state sets a limit on how long a creditor can sue to collect an old debt. Once that period passes, the debt is "time-barred" -- it may still exist, but a lawsuit on it is defensible. The trap: in many states, making a payment, or even acknowledging the debt in writing, can restart the clock and revive a claim that was otherwise too old to enforce. Before you promise anything or send a dollar, figure out how old the account is and whether Florida's limit has run. If Zakheim & LaVrar sues on a time-barred debt, raising the statute of limitations as a written defense in your answer is exactly why answering matters.
Is it a scam?
No -- a genuine firm communicates in writing, identifies the original creditor, honors your validation request, and files real court papers you can look up on the county docket. The red flags of an actual scam are different: demands for payment by gift card, cryptocurrency, or wire transfer; refusal to put anything in writing; or threats of immediate arrest. A legitimate collection law firm does none of that -- you cannot be jailed over a consumer debt; it is a civil matter. If someone claiming to be "Zakheim" pressures you for a prepaid card or a wire and won't send documentation, stop and verify the firm through independent, official channels.
Settling -- once it is validated, timely, and yours
If the debt is validated, within the statute of limitations, and genuinely yours, an unsecured consumer balance -- such as a credit-card account -- is negotiable. Make offers in writing and get the full terms in writing before you pay a cent, including whether the payment resolves the account in full and any judgment is satisfied and released. If this is instead a commercial or business account, consumer debt-settlement does not apply -- a business account is a different matter and should be handled accordingly. Remember that forgiven debt over $600 can trigger a 1099-C, so the tax side may matter. Rules, deadlines, and enforcement vary by state and county.
This page is general information, not legal or financial advice. Your rights and timelines vary by state; consider consulting a qualified attorney, legal aid, or your state attorney general's office.