A Law Firm With a Strong Record, and the Honest Question of Whether You Need One
If you are reading Grant Phillips Law reviews before you call, you are doing the right thing. Here is the short version: a merchant cash advance defense law firm in Long Beach, New York, with a deep and consistently positive client review record and a published practice built specifically around MCA funders. It is also a law firm rather than a settlement program, and for some readers that is exactly what the situation calls for. This page lays out what the public record shows, where hiring the firm is plainly the better route, and where a structured program fits instead.
* ClearBizDebt is the program, not a law firm, and it does not practice law. When a creditor escalates, the legal work on the matter is performed by a licensed attorney assigned to it.
Is Grant Phillips Law legit?
Yes. Grant Phillips Law, PLLC is a merchant cash advance defense law firm based at 670 Long Beach Blvd in Long Beach, New York and, per its own site, licensed to practice in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Connecticut and Arizona. Public review platforms put it at about 4.9 out of 5 across more than 160 client reviews, including 4.9 across 164 Google reviews and 5.0 across 44 client reviews on Avvo. It is a law firm rather than a settlement program, and for most readers that distinction decides more than the rating does.
Two notes on what you will see in these search results. First, several similar names collide here. Grant Phillips Law in Long Beach, New York is not Phillips Law Firm, a personal injury practice in Bothell, Washington, and it is not Phillips Law Group, a third unrelated firm that the "People also ask" box on this search serves results about. Check the address and the practice area before you trust a rating you find. Second, the results for this term include review pages published by the firm itself and a competitor's review page about them, so it is worth knowing who wrote what you are reading. That applies to this page too. We compete for some of the same clients, which is why everything below is sourced to their materials or to reviews you can go and read yourself.
A Law Firm and a Program, and the Honest Case for Each
The obvious framing of this comparison is wrong, so it is worth getting right before anything else. It is not that a law firm gets you a lawyer and a program does not. A ClearBizDebt client is not left to face a filed matter alone: when a creditor files suit, records a UCC lien and sends 9-406 notices to customers, or moves on a confession of judgment, a licensed attorney, not ClearBizDebt, is assigned to the matter at no additional cost. ClearBizDebt is the program, does not practice law, and the attorney handles the legal matter.
The real difference is trigger, scope and timing. A law firm is retained up front, so counsel is directing strategy from day one on whatever you engage them to handle. The program runs the other way around: the settlement program starts first, and counsel enters when a creditor escalates. Neither order is better in the abstract. Which one suits you depends almost entirely on how much has already happened.
"Pre or Post Judgment, UCC Liens, Levied Bank Accounts, it's not too late!"
Grant Phillips Law, from the firm's own Google business descriptionRead that line carefully, because it marks the clearest boundary on this page and it runs in their favor. If a judgment has already been entered against your business, if an account has already been levied, or if you want counsel running strategy from the outset rather than as an escalation path, retaining a firm is the more direct route. ClearBizDebt's published program covers responses filed, 9-406 notices answered, and account freezes from confessions of judgment handled. It does not publish coverage for vacating an existing judgment, for counterclaims, or for arbitration, and we are not going to imply otherwise on a page where a firm that does publish those things is the subject.
"[They] took the time to really help our organization understand our rights and strategy of how to move forward with handling the MCA companies we are in a battle with. I wish we would have called ... first before reaching out to a MCA debt management company."
Google review of Grant Phillips Law, 4 months agoMCA defense law firm · Long Beach, NY
What you are engaging
A law firm, retained directly. Counsel is on the file from the start and directs strategy on whatever you engage them to handle.
When legal work starts
✓ Immediately, on retainer, whether or not a creditor has moved yet.
Published scope
✓ Broader. Lawsuit defense with "counter claims and affirmative defenses," UCC lien removal, frozen accounts, judgment removal, and representation "from A to Z in any form of mediation or arbitration."
Already in trouble
✓ States it handles matters "Pre or Post Judgment," including UCC liens and levied bank accounts.
What it costs
Not published by the firm. Its Avvo profile lists hourly rates of $200 to $400 and a retainer sometimes, with the first 45 minutes free.
Who it takes
Ask about minimums. Several reviewers describe being declined because the balance was too small, and being given free guidance anyway.
Public record
✓ Deep and consistent. 4.9 across 164 Google reviews, 5.0 across 44 on Avvo, with reviews running back roughly seven years and continuing this month.
MCA settlement program · Wall Township, NJ
What you are engaging
A program, not a law firm. ClearBizDebt does not practice law. It negotiates settlements, and a licensed attorney is assigned when a creditor escalates.
When legal work starts
On escalation, not on day one. An attorney is assigned when a creditor files suit, records a UCC lien and sends 9-406 notices, or moves on a confession of judgment.
Published scope
Narrower and stated plainly: lawsuit responses filed on time, 9-406 notices answered, account freezes from confessions of judgment handled, at no additional cost and with no separate hourly bill.
Already in trouble
A pending lawsuit is workable, and the response gets filed on time so a missed deadline does not become a default judgment. An existing judgment or levy is a question for a firm.
What it costs
✓ One reduced weekly payment, with the full deposit and fee schedule shown in writing before signing. Not published on the site, and shown at the consultation.
Who it takes
✓ Built for stacked MCA positions, typically two to four, including files that sit below what a firm will take on an hourly basis.
Public record
Current client reviews on Google, and documented settlements you can ask to see before committing to anything.
Read those columns honestly and Grant Phillips Law wins the rows about legal reach. Broader published scope, counsel from day one, and an explicit claim to handle post-judgment and levied-account situations. What the program answers is a different question: several positions at once, a payment you cannot make this week, a cost you can see before you sign, and attorney coverage that is triggered if and when a creditor actually moves.
An MCA Defense Law Firm, Described in Its Own Terms
Many of the companies that come up when you search for merchant cash advance help are settlement companies. This one is not. It is a law firm, and the difference shows up in what it publishes about its own work. Here is that work in the firm's own language, with our commentary kept out of it.
One thing worth knowing about scope. The review record and the firm's own profile show a practice broader than merchant cash advances alone, with bankruptcy, foreclosure defense and commercial collection work appearing across the years, particularly in the older reviews. MCA defense is clearly the current focus and the way the firm presents itself today. If your situation sits at the edge of that, ask directly whether it is work they take now.
A Strong Record, and One Pattern Worth Reading Closely
We read the reviews we could obtain rather than relying on the averages. The record is strong and it is consistent, which we will say plainly because it is what the evidence shows. The more useful finding is not the rating at all. It is a pattern that runs through years of five-star reviews and tells you, quite precisely, which door you should be knocking on.
Pattern in the reviews
Multiple reviewers describe calling, being told the balance was too small for the firm to take on, and being given real guidance anyway. One names a figure, a balance of $25,420. No minimum is published anywhere, so the number is not knowable from outside.
A program is usually the realistic route here
Pattern in the reviews
Several positions, payments that no longer clear, and no lawsuit or lien yet. Reviewers in this position describe being helped by the firm, and this is also the exact case a settlement program is designed around. Genuinely a choice rather than a default.
Worth pricing both before deciding
Pattern in the reviews
One reviewer describes a levy removed, another UCC filings released, and another two lawsuits defended across a two-year engagement. The firm states it handles matters pre or post judgment. This is the situation where a program's escalation-triggered coverage arrives too late to be the right tool.
Retaining a firm is the more direct route
The verdict in about ten seconds
For clarity: ClearBizDebt and Grant Phillips Law are separate, unaffiliated companies, and we compete for some of the same clients, so weigh this page accordingly and check the sources yourself. Everything above is drawn from the firm's own published materials and from public reviews. Ratings and counts are as displayed in September 2026 and will change over time.
In Their Own Words
"...they were not able to take me as a client because my debt was not high enough. However... [the consultant] was able to give me valuable information to help me fight my case on my behalf."
Google review, 5 months ago
"Even though my balance ($25,420) on a Merchant Cash Advance was too low to justify hiring a lawyer, I was able to speak with ... who listened, responded, and gave me excellent advice. Ten other law firms had refused my calls."
Google review, 2 years ago
"For the past two years, I have used their services to help me negotiate two settlements and defend my California-based business against two breach of contract lawsuits."
Google review, a year ago
"I wish we would have called ... first before reaching out to a MCA debt management company."
Google review, 4 months ago
"Before paying a retainer, I asked for clear answers regarding pricing and scope... I sent three follow-up emails back to back and received no response."
Google review, 2 months ago, critical
"Everything started amazing and I was given good advice. I then reached back out and was told I would receive a call in 15 minutes. It's been 36-Hours."
Google review, 2 months ago, critical
Six Questions That Matter More Than Any Star Rating
When one option is a law firm and the other is a program, ratings will not separate them, because they are not being rated on the same thing. These six will. Ask all of them of Grant Phillips Law, of us, and of anyone else you are weighing, and get the answers in writing before any money moves.
Ask it out loud on the first call, before anything else. Several Grant Phillips Law reviewers describe a free consultation followed by being told the balance was too small, which is worth knowing before you invest time in the process. Any firm or program should be able to tell you in two minutes whether your file is one they work with.
For an hourly engagement, ask for a written estimate covering the whole matter rather than the opening stage, and ask what happens if a second or third funder files. For a program, ask for the full schedule of deposits and fees in writing before you sign. Neither firm on this page publishes pricing on its website, so in both cases the answer has to come to you in writing.
This is the question this whole page turns on. With a law firm, counsel is retained up front and works the matter from day one. With ClearBizDebt, the company is the program and does not practice law; a licensed attorney is assigned to the matter when a creditor files suit, records a UCC lien and sends 9-406 notices, or moves on a confession of judgment. Ask each side plainly what triggers legal work, who performs it, and what it costs.
Only applies to a program, and it matters a great deal there. In a settlement program you stop paying funders directly and start building a fund that pays the settlements. Ask whose name the account is in, who can move money out, and whether you can log in and read the balance yourself on any given day. Our answer is an escrow account in the client's name, viewable any day. Hold anyone else to whatever answer you get in writing.
If a judgment has been entered, an account has been levied, or a matter is already in litigation or arbitration, say so on the first call and ask directly whether it is covered. Grant Phillips Law states it handles matters pre or post judgment, including levied accounts. A settlement program built around escalation coverage is a weaker fit once the escalation has already happened, and any honest program will tell you that.
Not ranges, not testimonials alone, and not a star rating. Documented resolutions on files that look like yours. Anyone doing this at volume has them and will share them. For the wider field scored against these same criteria, see our guide to merchant cash advance settlement companies, and for what a lawsuit actually involves, what happens when an MCA funder sues.
Grant Phillips Law is probably not the only name you are weighing, and most of the others are settlement companies rather than firms. We have put the same questions to the ones that come up most often: Business Debt Adjusters reviews, Delancey Street debt relief reviews, National Credit Partners reviews, Coastal Debt Resolve reviews, Second Wind Consultants reviews, Rise Alliance reviews and Debt Consultants Group reviews. If one of those names is already in your inbox, start there.
When a Structured Program Is the Better Tool
MCA debt only · One reduced weekly payment · Escrow the client can log into
An owner with two, four, sometimes more stacked merchant cash advances. Daily and weekly ACH withdrawals leaving the account faster than revenue replaces them. Debt service that was survivable at one position and is not at four. Nothing filed yet, or one position filed and the rest still quiet. That is a large share of the MCA market and it is the case the program is designed around.
Clients formally declare financial hardship, which is the signed enrollment step that makes the business eligible. One reduced weekly payment typically replaces the funder withdrawals and builds in a dedicated escrow account in the client's name. Negotiation is timed for leverage rather than speed, across every position at once, which is why first settlements average around 241 days. The process runs in defined phases from intake to resolution, with one named representative on the file throughout.
When a funder files a lawsuit, records a UCC lien and sends 9-406 notices to the client's customers, or moves on a confession of judgment, an MCA debt attorney is assigned to the matter at no additional cost. The attorney files the response on time, so a missed deadline does not turn into a default judgment. There is no separate hourly bill for it. On stacked positions this is not a rare event, which is why it is written into the agreement rather than sold as an add-on.
To be exact about what that is and what it is not: ClearBizDebt is the program, not a law firm, and it does not practice law. The legal work is performed by a licensed attorney assigned to the matter. The coverage is triggered by creditor escalation. It is not general legal advice on demand, it is not a retainer the client controls, and it does not extend to matters the program does not cover.
The money builds in an account in the client's name, and the client can log in and read the balance on any day of the program. On a page about choosing between two very different options, this is worth insisting on from anyone running a program, because it makes the most common fear in this industry hard to sustain.
Worth saying directly, because a program that enrolls a business it cannot help has done damage. A judgment already entered, an account already levied, or a matter already in litigation or arbitration, where retained counsel is the more direct route. E-commerce businesses paid through Amazon or Shopify, where the platform controls the receivables. Practices whose revenue runs through private insurance receivables, though Medicare and Medicaid are workable. Dealerships on floor plan financing. And any business whose debt problem runs well beyond merchant cash advances.
And if what you actually want is a lawyer of your own, directing strategy from day one, on a matter you choose: that is a law firm, and you should hire one. Grant Phillips Law is one of the firms that does this work.
A client resolved a balance for roughly a quarter of what was owed and described it as pennies on the dollar.
An owner with four positions and liens on every account, close to filing bankruptcy, saw a final balance resolved for a fraction.
A repair shop that was facing $10,000 a week completed the program and stayed open.
These are real client results, not a promise of any specific outcome. Results vary with the debt, the number of positions, and how the funders behave.
A Straight Answer on When to Hire a Firm and When to Join a Program
Read down the left column and find your situation. Highlighted cells show which route is built for it. The first two rows go to the law firm, and they go there for good reasons, so they are at the top where you will actually see them rather than buried at the bottom.
| Your situation | Grant Phillips Law | ClearBizDebt |
|---|---|---|
| A judgment has already been entered, or an account has been levied | ✓ States it handles matters pre or post judgment, including levied bank accounts. | Not something our published program covers. Call a firm. |
| You want counsel directing strategy from day one | ✓ That is what retaining a firm is. Counsel is on the file from the start. | Legal work begins when a creditor escalates, not at enrollment. |
| You want to counterclaim against a funder, or you are heading to arbitration | ✓ Publishes counterclaims and affirmative defenses, and representation in mediation or arbitration. | Out of published scope. |
| You have been served and the response deadline is running | ✓ Lawsuit defense is core published work. | ✓ An attorney is assigned at no additional cost and the response is filed on time. |
| Several stacked positions, payments unaffordable, nothing filed yet | Handles this work. Ask what the engagement would cost across every position. | ✓ Exactly the case the program is built for, negotiated across all positions at once. |
| Your balance is modest and firms have told you it is too small | Reviewers report being declined for size, with free guidance offered anyway. | ✓ Works files below what an hourly engagement typically justifies. |
| You need one predictable cost rather than an open-ended one | Avvo lists hourly rates of $200 to $400, with a retainer sometimes. | ✓ One reduced weekly payment, full deposit and fee schedule in writing before signing. |
| You want to watch the settlement fund build | Not applicable. A law firm is not running a settlement fund for you. | ✓ Escrow in the client's name, viewable any day of the program. |
| Your debt runs well beyond merchant cash advances | ✓ Broader debt practice on the record. Ask what they take today. | Out of scope. MCA debt only. |
Grant Phillips Law entries reflect that firm's own published materials and its public review record as of September 2026. Where a cell says to ask, that is a literal instruction rather than a criticism. Put the question to them directly and get the answer in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Grant Phillips Law legit?
Yes. Grant Phillips Law, PLLC is a merchant cash advance defense law firm based at 670 Long Beach Blvd in Long Beach, New York, licensed to practice in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Connecticut and, per its own site, Arizona. Its public review record is strong and consistent: 4.9 across 164 Google reviews, 5.0 across 44 client reviews on Avvo with 43 of those at five stars, and 4.9 across 166 reviews on Trustindex. Legitimate and right for your particular situation are separate questions, and the second one depends mostly on how far your MCA problem has already gone.
What does Grant Phillips Law do?
They describe themselves as "a full service Merchant Cash Advance Defense Law Firm, focused exclusively on defending merchants and their businesses against MCA Funders and Merchant Cash Advance Collection Attorneys." Published work includes reading the MCA agreement for legal leverage, negotiating settlements structured as a term loan paid over an agreed number of months, defending lawsuits with "counter claims and affirmative defenses," representation in mediation or arbitration, removal of UCC liens, frozen account and payment processor issues, and judgment removal. The review record also shows a broader debt practice over the years, including bankruptcy and foreclosure work, so if your matter sits outside MCA it is worth asking what they take on today.
How much does Grant Phillips Law cost?
The firm does not publish fees on its own website. It promotes a free consultation and a free reading of your merchant cash advance contracts. Its Avvo profile lists the structure: the first 45 minutes free, hourly rates of $200 to $400, and a retainer "sometimes." That is an ordinary way for a law firm to charge. The practical point for a business owner is that an hourly engagement is harder to forecast than a fixed program payment, especially if more than one funder ends up in dispute, so ask for a written estimate that covers the whole matter rather than the opening stage. For comparison, ClearBizDebt does not publish its fees on its site either; the full deposit and fee schedule is shown in writing before anything is signed.
Is there a minimum debt size to hire Grant Phillips Law?
No minimum is published anywhere, but the reviews show one exists in practice. At least five reviewers across two years describe calling, being told their balance was too small for the firm to take on, and being given contract reviews or settlement guidance at no charge anyway. One of them names a figure, a balance of $25,420. Several of those reviewers left five stars anyway. It also means that if your balance is modest, you should ask about size on the first call rather than after a consultation.
What do Grant Phillips Law reviews say?
The positive reviews, which are the overwhelming majority, describe responsiveness, clear explanation of complicated contracts, and specific results: levies removed, UCC filings released, default judgments stopped, daily ACH withdrawals halted, and settlements reached across multiple positions. One reviewer describes two settlements negotiated and two breach of contract lawsuits defended for a California business over two years. One client based in California describes a matter filed in New York being handled without travel. The two substantive critical reviews we located are both recent and both concern responsiveness before an engagement began rather than work performed: one describes asking for pricing and scope before paying a retainer and getting no reply to three follow-up emails, the other describes a promised callback that did not arrive. They are a small minority of a 164-review record, and the sensible response is simply to get pricing and scope in writing before money moves.
Is Grant Phillips Law the same as Phillips Law Firm or Phillips Law Group?
No. These are three unrelated firms and the search results mix them together, so it is worth separating them before you trust a rating you find. Grant Phillips Law, PLLC is the merchant cash advance defense firm in Long Beach, New York discussed on this page. Phillips Law Firm is a personal injury practice in Bothell, Washington, handling car accidents, workers' compensation and similar work. Phillips Law Group is a third firm entirely, and the "People also ask" box on this search currently serves questions about it. Check the address and the practice area on any profile before you rely on it.
Does Grant Phillips Law handle MCA lawsuits, UCC liens and frozen accounts?
Yes, all three are published services. On lawsuits the firm states it "will not just respond to your lawsuit but simultaneously file counter claims and affirmative defenses," and on arbitration clauses that it will represent clients "from A to Z in any form of mediation or arbitration." Its own business description lists work "Pre or Post Judgment, UCC Liens, Levied Bank Accounts." Reviewers corroborate the lien and levy work from the client side. If you are already past the filing stage, this is the reason to call a firm rather than join a program.
Should I hire a law firm or join a settlement program for MCA debt?
It depends on how far things have gone and what you want counsel to do. Hiring a firm means retaining a lawyer up front who directs strategy from day one on whatever you engage them for, which is the right answer if a judgment has been entered, an account has been levied, a matter is already in litigation or arbitration, or you want counterclaims pursued. A settlement program runs the other way around: the program starts first, negotiating every position at once from a single reduced weekly payment, and an attorney is assigned if and when a creditor escalates. That suits an owner with several stacked positions, payments that no longer clear, and nothing filed yet. Cost shape differs too, an hourly engagement against a scheduled program payment. Neither is better in the abstract.
What happens if a funder sues me while I am in the ClearBizDebt program?
An attorney is assigned to the matter at no additional cost, and the response is filed on time so a missed deadline does not turn into a default judgment. There is no separate hourly bill for it. To be precise about what that is: ClearBizDebt is the program, not a law firm, and it does not practice law. The legal work is performed by a licensed attorney assigned to the matter. The same trigger applies when a funder records a UCC lien and sends 9-406 notices to your customers, or moves on a confession of judgment. It is coverage that responds to creditor escalation rather than general legal advice on demand, and it is not a retainer you control.
Grant Phillips Law vs ClearBizDebt: which should I choose?
If a judgment has already been entered, an account has been levied, you are in arbitration, you want to counterclaim against a funder, or you simply want a lawyer of your own steering the matter from the outset, hire a firm. Grant Phillips Law publishes exactly that work and its client record supports it. If your problem is several stacked merchant cash advances, a weekly payment you cannot make, nothing filed yet or one position filed, and you want a defined cost and a settlement fund you can watch build, the program is the closer fit: ClearBizDebt works MCA debt only, shows the full deposit and fee schedule in writing before signing, holds funds in escrow in the client's name that you can view any day, and assigns an attorney at no additional cost if a creditor escalates. Ask both the six questions on this page and decide on the answers rather than the ratings.
Can I negotiate merchant cash advance debt myself instead?
Sometimes, and it is worth being honest about that. With a single advance, a cooperative funder and time to make the calls, some owners do reach a workable arrangement on their own. Two Grant Phillips Law reviewers describe doing exactly that using free guidance the firm gave them, including one who negotiated a 22% reduction after being told the balance was too small to take on. It gets considerably harder with several stacked positions, when funders are contacting your customers, or once a lawsuit or a confession of judgment is in play, because the leverage and the exposure both change. The realistic question is not whether it is possible but whether you can carry it while running the business. For the mechanics either way, see how to settle MCA debt.
You Did the Research. Now Get a Straight Answer on Your Situation.
Grant Phillips Law is a real firm with a real record, and if you are already past the filing stage or you want a lawyer of your own running the matter, that is the call to make. If your problem is several stacked merchant cash advances and a payment you cannot make this week, that is a different tool. Bring the six questions, ask us all of them, and judge us on whether we can answer them.
* ClearBizDebt is the program, not a law firm, and it does not practice law. The legal work on a matter is performed by a licensed attorney assigned to it.