By Jeannie Fanning
July 19, 2010

During a period when most of corporate America found itself cutting expenses to protect its bottom line, the national law firm of Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP actually increased its support for charitable and educational causes in the communities where it does business. Mike Vallandingham, Partner & Chief Marketing Officer for Linebarger Goggan, would not say how much the firm gave in 2009, but he did indicate that in addition to substantial monetary contributions the firm’s employees devoted thousands of volunteer hours to civic causes as well.

Linebarger Goggan represents over 500 cities in the collection of delinquent taxes, fees, fines and other types of accounts receivable they are owed. This year alone, the firm expects to recover roughly $1 billion in outstanding financial obligations owed to its 1,900 plus government clients.

“Life isn’t just about making money,” Vallandingham said. “We put a high priority on charitable giving, volunteer work and good corporate citizenship in general. We make a concerted effort to be a part of the fabric of the communities we serve.”

Particularly gratifying about this story is that the collection industry typically gets a bad rap for simply providing a much needed service; one that must be fulfilled in order to demonstrate fairness to the vast majority of Americans who pay their taxes and other financial obligations on time and as required by law. Someone not paying their parking ticket may seem innocent enough, but the consequences can be long term. Unpaid parking tickets, in addition to other delinquencies, quickly add up in terms of lost revenue and result in government having to cut services and raise taxes and fees to cover the gap.

In the case of Linebarger Goggan, their necessary service combined with charitable giving makes the firm a standout in its field, especially during the economic turmoil of the past couple of years.

For information on how Linebarger Goggan can collect the money due to your city, contact Jeff Bean at 202-446-8140 or send e-mail to jbean@usmayors.org, or contact Kathryn Kretschmer-Weyland at 301-460-5251 or e-mail kweyland@usmayors.org.