Five Lakes Law Group complaints often concern fees, program length, settlement approval, account records, cancellation, and creditor lawsuits. Five Lakes Law Group PLLC is an attorney-supported debt-relief provider. Although its website uses “debt consolidation” language, the program is not a consolidation loan. It is a form of debt settlement in which clients accumulate funds while the firm seeks reduced agreements with unsecured creditors.

Creditors do not have to settle. During the process, balances can grow, credit can deteriorate, collection may continue, and a creditor can sue. A dispute should be tested against the sales recording, retainer agreement, fee ledger, settlement documents, and actual creditor payments.

Key Takeaways

1. Five Lakes advertises monthly-payment reductions of 40% or more and an average program length of 24 to 48 months, but says individual results vary.
2. Its website says completing clients pay creditors about 55% of enrolled debt before fees. It currently says fees vary by state and are success-based.
3. In recent BBB responses, Five Lakes confirmed that certain clients had a fee fixed at 27% of verified enrolled debt. The signed retainer controls each client’s rate.
4. On August 15, 2026, BBB displayed 153 complaints in three years and 57 in the preceding 12 months. Complaints are allegations, not legal findings.
5. Calling the provider a law firm does not guarantee that a particular attorney will appear in court or that every service is exempt from consumer-protection rules.

What Is the Five Lakes Debt-Relief Program?

Five Lakes describes itself as a debt-relief law firm that offers licensed-attorney support. Clients make scheduled deposits to a program account, then proposed settlements are paid as sufficient funds become available. This differs from a loan that immediately pays every creditor and from a nonprofit debt-management plan that generally repays principal through regular creditor payments.

Five Lakes says it may help slow or settle a creditor lawsuit and provides pro se document drafting and attorney assistance without an added charge. “Pro se” means the consumer is appearing for themselves. It is not the same as a promise that counsel will enter an appearance, attend hearings, or defend every collection case. Check the retainer for the named client, scope of representation, excluded services, and responsible attorney.

How Much Does Five Lakes Law Group Charge?

Five Lakes’ current public site does not state one universal percentage; it says fees vary by state and are success-based. However, published 2026 BBB responses from the firm state that some clients’ fees were fixed at 27% of the verified enrolled balance, not the negotiated settlement amount.

If a retainer uses 27%:

1. $20,000 of enrolled debt produces a $5,400 program fee.
2. $40,000 produces a $10,800 program fee.
3. $60,000 produces a $16,200 program fee.

The firm’s website says clients who make all deposits pay creditors about 55% of enrolled debt on average before fees. If both that average and a 27% fee applied, creditor payments plus the program fee would equal about 82% of the enrolled balance before account charges, added interest, or possible tax consequences. A lower monthly deposit is not the same as lower total cost.

Request a debt-by-debt calculation showing the enrollment balance, current balance, settlement, fee, third-party charges, and net savings. Confirm what event earns the fee and whether collection can be deferred after the firm considers it earned.

What Do Five Lakes Law Group Complaints Report?

On August 15, 2026, BBB’s complaint page displayed 153 complaints in three years and 57 closed in the previous 12 months. BBB categorized them as 58 service-or-repair, 57 billing, 18 product, 11 order, five sales-and-advertising, and four customer-service complaints. It listed 129 as answered and 24 as resolved, while also displaying an A+ rating and accreditation.

Complaint narratives describe differing facts, but recurring allegations include:

1. a 27% fee not being understood until money was withdrawn;
2. limited net savings after program fees and balance growth;
3. a 48-month estimate extending to 60 months or longer;
4. disputed settlement approvals, fee timing, or ledger entries;
5. delayed cancellation refunds or deductions from remaining account funds; and
6. creditor lawsuits, judgments, or inconsistent communication during enrollment.

Five Lakes commonly responds that fees and risks were disclosed in the retainer, fees were tied to approved offers, some fee collection was deferred to preserve settlement funds, and timelines were estimates. BBB does not decide legal liability. Preserve the enrollment call, retainer, every ledger, bank statement, settlement approval, creditor letter, and court filing.

Is There a Five Lakes Law Group Lawsuit?

Public federal dockets name Five Lakes in private cases. For example, Adkins v. IMerge Financial et al., filed in Ohio federal court in 2024, asserts an FCRA claim associated with a mailer. A complaint starts a case; it is not proof of liability, and that marketing case does not decide whether a client’s debt-settlement fee was lawful.

An older Colorado Attorney General settlement named Charles DeGryse and other entities, including GRT Financial and Huron Law Group, over alleged debt-settlement violations. BBB identifies DeGryse as an owner of Five Lakes, but Five Lakes was not a defendant in that case and BBB dates its business start to 2020, after the settlement. The distinction should not be blurred.

A search of public FTC and CFPB enforcement materials did not locate an agency debt-relief case naming Five Lakes as of August 15, 2026. Absence of a located agency case does not resolve an individual consumer’s claim.

What Rights May Protect Illinois Consumers?

For providers covered by the Illinois Debt Settlement Consumer Protection Act, an initial fee generally cannot exceed $50, a settlement fee cannot exceed 15% of savings, detailed records are required, and cancellation is allowed before full performance. Required refunds and an accounting generally must be supplied within five business days.

The Act excludes attorneys licensed or authorized in Illinois when they are engaged in the practice of law. Whether that exemption covers every service, affiliate, marketer, administrator, or fee in a Five Lakes program depends on the facts. A law-firm name alone does not answer the question.

The federal Telemarketing Sales Rule has no general attorney exemption. For a covered transaction, a fee for a debt generally cannot be collected until the debt’s terms change, the consumer agrees to the result, and the consumer makes a creditor payment. Dedicated-account funds remain consumer-owned, and qualifying funds generally must be returned within seven business days after termination, minus lawfully earned fees.

What Should You Do If the Program Caused a Problem?

1. Preserve the file. Save ads, recordings, the retainer, powers of attorney, settlement approvals, account ledgers, bank records, creditor letters, credit reports, and court papers.
2. Demand a complete accounting. Request every deposit, withdrawal, fee, creditor payment, completed or revoked offer, unresolved debt, and remaining balance.
3. Verify each debt directly. Ask the creditor for its balance, written settlement terms, payment history, and litigation status.
4. Protect court deadlines. Program enrollment does not pause a lawsuit. Confirm whether an attorney has formally appeared; otherwise, treat yourself as responsible for every deadline.
5. Cancel traceably if appropriate. Follow the retainer, send written notice, address debit authority, and demand a final refund calculation. Read what to do when a debt-relief program goes wrong.

How Justice Consumer Law Can Help

Justice Consumer Law reviews Five Lakes sales representations, retainers, fee timing, settlement approvals, account withdrawals, legal-service promises, cancellation requests, and resulting creditor problems. If the program caused financial harm, contact Justice Consumer Law for a case-specific review. Claims and outcomes depend on the facts and governing law.

Frequently Asked Questions About Five Lakes Law Group

Is Five Lakes Law Group a debt-consolidation lender?

No. Its program seeks negotiated settlements after funds accumulate; it does not issue one new loan that immediately pays all enrolled creditors.

Does Five Lakes Law Group charge 27%?

Its website says fees vary by state. Five Lakes has confirmed a 27% fee based on enrolled debt in responses concerning certain clients. Check your retainer rather than assuming one rate applies nationwide.

Can a creditor sue while I am enrolled?

Yes. Five Lakes says it offers attorney assistance and pro se document drafting, but that is not necessarily full courtroom representation. Confirm the scope in writing and protect every deadline.

Can I cancel Five Lakes Law Group?

Review the retainer and send traceable written notice. Request the final ledger, identification of every earned fee, return of undistributed funds, revocation of debit authority, and notice to creditors where required.

This page provides general information, not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.