Lebedin Kofman Review (2026): MCA Defense Services & Your Alternatives
Editorial note: This is an independent review published by Business Debt Adjusters. We have no affiliation with Lebedin Kofman LLP, nobody paid us to write this, and every fact below about the firm comes from its own public website or public review platforms. And to be clear up front: Business Debt Adjusters is not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice.
You're probably reading this because a merchant cash advance situation got serious enough to start pricing out lawyers. Maybe a funder filed a UCC lien, maybe the daily pulls from two or three stacked positions are outrunning revenue, maybe a lawsuit already landed. Business owners in that spot usually compare two options: a debt defense firm like Lebedin Kofman, or a settlement company. This review covers the firm honestly first, then explains where a settlement firm handles the same problem differently, and often for less.
Who Lebedin Kofman is
Lebedin Kofman LLP is a New York firm founded by partners Arthur Lebedin and Russ Kofman, based at 26 Broadway in lower Manhattan and serving clients across New York State. Unlike a lot of firms that added MCA work as a sideline, debt defense sits near the center of this practice. The firm handles credit card lawsuit defense, frozen bank accounts, student loan matters, wage garnishments, bankruptcy, and merchant cash advance defense, alongside a criminal defense and commercial litigation practice.
That focus shows in the paper trail. Lebedin Kofman has published MCA defense content since at least 2022, tracking developments like the New York Attorney General's discharge of 1,100 merchant cash advance judgments against small businesses. A firm that follows the MCA docket that closely is probably not learning the industry on your file, and that counts for something.
What Lebedin Kofman handles on the MCA side
According to the firm's own site, the MCA practice covers the moves only a licensed attorney can make:
Lawsuit and judgment defense. The firm defends against suits and judgments from funders collecting on defaulted advances. Once a complaint is filed, answering it is court work with hard deadlines, and no settlement company can step into that.
UCC lien response. Funders use UCC-1 filings to pressure processors and customers into holding your money. Lebedin Kofman handles lien disputes as part of its collection defense work.
Frozen account release. Restraining notices on business accounts are one of the firm's core practice areas, which matters because a frozen operating account kills a business faster than the debt itself.
Negotiated settlements. The firm also negotiates with funders and their attorneys, and says those settlements have saved clients thousands in fees and interest, sometimes getting matters dismissed outright.
On pricing, the firm's site says it charges flat-rate fees in most situations, which is worth highlighting. Flat fees are friendlier to a cash-strapped business than open-ended hourly billing, though you should still get the number and its boundaries in writing, especially what happens if a matter turns into extended litigation.
What public reviews say about Lebedin Kofman
On Avvo, the firm's site displays a 9.0 rating along with Clients' Choice awards from 2016 and 2017 and a 2014 Top Contributor badge. Client testimonials on the firm's own pages are positive, as you'd expect. Our standard advice applies to any firm, ours included: skip the badges, open Google and Avvo directly, and read the most recent 10-15 reviews yourself. Review volume for MCA-specific outcomes is thin on public platforms, which is common across this niche because most business owners don't publicize their debt problems after resolving them.
When hiring a firm like Lebedin Kofman makes sense
We laid out the full decision in our MCA attorney vs. settlement firm guide, and we'll repeat the honest version here. A lawyer is the right call when:
You've been served. A filed lawsuit runs on court deadlines, often 20 to 30 days to respond. Miss them and you can hand the funder a default judgment. Only an attorney answers a complaint.
Your account is frozen or a judgment is being enforced. Restraining notices and levies get undone in court, and this happens to be an area Lebedin Kofman works regularly.
You want to challenge the contract. Arguing an advance is a disguised usurious loan under New York's 25% criminal usury cap is a legal argument. It belongs with counsel, full stop.
In those files, a settlement firm is the wrong tool. We tell callers exactly that when it applies.
When a settlement firm is the better fit
Most MCA trouble is a cash-flow problem before it's a legal one. That's not spin, it's just what the intake data looks like: no lawsuit, no judgment, no frozen account. Just stacked positions pulling 30-40% of daily revenue while the owner tries to make payroll. At that stage the job isn't a legal defense. It's getting every funder on the file to accept terms your actual receivables can carry, before anyone escalates.
That's the work Business Debt Adjusters has done for 11 years, across more than $500 million in enrolled debt, with a 4.7-star Trustpilot rating across 243 reviews. Our fee is disclosed before you sign, and because nothing enters a courtroom, there are no litigation costs riding alongside the balance you're trying to reduce. When negotiation can resolve the file, it's usually the faster and cheaper route. When it can't, you need a firm like the one this page reviews.
Actually, the cleanest way to say it: Lebedin Kofman and firms like it exist for the files that have gone legal. We exist for the files that don't have to.
If the balance itself is the problem rather than this one firm, our MCA debt relief program explains how negotiated settlement works and who qualifies.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lebedin Kofman a legitimate option for MCA defense?
Yes. It's an established New York firm with licensed attorneys, named partners, a Manhattan office, and debt defense as a core practice area rather than a side offering. Whether it's the right option depends on whether your file actually needs litigation.
How much does Lebedin Kofman charge?
The firm's site says flat-rate fees in most situations, with free consultations offered. Specific numbers aren't published, which is standard for law firms. Get the fee and its scope in writing before you engage.
Do I need an MCA attorney or a settlement company?
Sued, frozen, or facing a judgment: attorney. Stacked advances strangling cash flow with nothing filed yet: settlement firm, in most cases. Our attorney vs. settlement firm comparison breaks down the decision line by line.
What does Business Debt Adjusters do differently from a law firm?
We negotiate directly with funders to restructure and reduce what you pay, without litigation and without hourly billing. If your file needs a lawyer instead, we say so on the first call. Book a free consultation and get a straight answer on which path fits your file.
Disclaimer: This review reflects the editorial opinion of Business Debt Adjusters based on publicly available information as of 2026. Business Debt Adjusters is a debt settlement company, not a law firm, and does not provide legal advice or legal services. Lebedin Kofman LLP has no affiliation with this page. If you believe any information here is inaccurate, contact us and we'll correct it.
