Gurstel Law Firm: What to Know If It Contacts You About a Debt

Last reviewed: October 6, 2026. This article is general information, not legal advice. Court deadlines and debt rules vary by state, so check the papers you received and your state's court rules.

If a letter, call or court summons from Gurstel Law Firm has landed in your life, it's natural to feel uneasy. The good news is that federal law gives you clear rights, and knowing them makes the next step much less stressful. This page explains, neutrally, what the firm is and what you can do.

Short answer: Gurstel Law Firm, P.C. is a Minnesota-based law firm that represents creditors in collecting consumer and commercial debts. Because it collects debts, it must follow the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and the CFPB's Regulation F. You can dispute a debt in writing within the validation period, and if you are sued, you should never ignore the summons.

What Gurstel Law Firm does

According to its own website, Gurstel Law Firm was founded in 1997 in Minnesota and is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota. It says it serves clients in Arizona, California, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming, and it lists practice areas such as consumer and credit card collections, commercial collections, auto deficiencies and replevins, and judgment enforcement and wage garnishments.

Its site also carries this disclosure: "Gurstel Law Firm P.C. is a law firm with a primary business purpose of debt collection." In other words, the firm acts for creditors, not for the people who owe the debts. If it contacts you, it is doing so on behalf of a creditor that says you owe money.

Being a law firm doesn't take a collector outside the FDCPA. In Heintz v. Jenkins (1995), the Supreme Court held that the Act applies to lawyers who regularly try to collect consumer debts, including through litigation.

Your rights when a debt collector contacts you

The validation notice and the 30-day window

Under 15 U.S.C. § 1692g, a debt collector must send you a written notice, within five days of first contacting you, that includes the amount of the debt and the name of the creditor, and explains your right to dispute. Regulation F (12 CFR 1006.34) spells out what this "validation information" must contain, including:

• the current creditor and the original creditor;
• an itemization showing interest, fees, payments and credits since a reference date;
• the date the validation period ends; and
• prompts you can use to say "This is not my debt," "The amount is wrong," or something else.

If you dispute in writing before that date, the collector must stop collecting the disputed amount until it sends you verification. One detail to know: under § 1692g(d), a court complaint is not treated as the "initial communication" that starts this process, so a lawsuit can be the first thing you receive.

Limits on calls and contact

• Times and places. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1692c(a), collectors generally may not contact you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. your local time, or at times and places they know are inconvenient for you.
• If you have a lawyer. Once a collector knows you have an attorney for the debt, it generally must deal with the attorney instead of you.
• Call frequency. Regulation F (12 CFR 1006.14) presumes a collector is harassing you if it calls more than seven times within seven days about a debt, or calls within seven days after a phone conversation with you about it.
• Stop contacting me. Under § 1692c(c), a written request to stop contact must be honored, apart from narrow exceptions such as telling you about a lawsuit.

Old debts

Regulation F (12 CFR 1006.26(b)) says a debt collector must not sue or threaten to sue on a time-barred debt, meaning one past the statute of limitations. If a debt is very old, raise that with a lawyer, because limitation periods differ by state and by type of debt.

What to do if you've been sued

A summons and complaint start a deadline to file a response with the court, and it is often short. Here's a calm, practical order of steps:

1. Don't ignore it. The CFPB warns that if you don't respond, the court could enter a default judgment, after which a creditor may be able to garnish wages, place a lien on property or move to freeze a bank account.
2. Find the deadline and the court. The summons states how long you have to respond and where. Confirm the case on the court's own website or with the clerk's office.
3. File an answer. Many courts have self-help centers and answer forms. In your answer you can deny allegations, say you don't recognize the debt, and raise defenses such as the statute of limitations or prior payment.
4. Hold them to their proof. The creditor generally has to prove that you owe the debt and how much. Keep copies of everything you receive and send.
5. Consider settlement, carefully. If you agree to a payment plan or lump sum, get the terms in writing, including how the case will be closed.
6. Get help. Legal aid organizations and consumer protection attorneys handle these cases. The FDCPA allows consumers who prove a violation to recover damages plus reasonable attorney's fees (15 U.S.C. § 1692k).

For more detail, see our guides on how to get a debt lawsuit dismissed and the chances of winning a credit card lawsuit.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Paying before checking. Make sure the debt is yours and the amount is right. Ask for validation if anything looks off.
• Missing the court deadline while trying to "work it out" by phone. A conversation with a collector does not extend a court deadline.
• Assuming every call is genuine. Scammers sometimes pose as law firms. Check contact details against the firm's official website or the court record before paying. Our guide on how to spot a fake law firm can help.
• Not keeping records. Note dates, times and what was said in every call, and keep copies of letters. The CFPB suggests sending disputes by certified mail with a return receipt.

If you think your rights were violated

You can submit a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which accepts debt collection complaints online or by phone at (855) 411-2372. You can also contact your state attorney general or a consumer protection attorney. FDCPA lawsuits generally must be filed within one year of the violation.

Sources

• Gurstel Law Firm, official website and About page
• 15 U.S.C. § 1692c, communication with consumers: Cornell LII
• 15 U.S.C. § 1692e, false or misleading representations: Cornell LII
• 15 U.S.C. § 1692g, validation of debts: Cornell LII
• 15 U.S.C. § 1692k, civil liability: Cornell LII
• 12 CFR 1006.14, harassing telephone calls: Cornell LII
• 12 CFR 1006.26, time-barred debts: Cornell LII
• 12 CFR 1006.34, validation information: Cornell LII
• Heintz v. Jenkins, 514 U.S. 291 (1995): Cornell LII
• CFPB, What should I do if I'm sued by a debt collector or creditor?
• CFPB, What can I do if a debt collector contacts me about a debt I don't think I owe?
• CFPB, Debt collection tools and sample letters
• CFPB, Submit a complaint
• Legal Services Corporation, Find legal aid