A collection agency is a business involved in the collection of personal and business debts. An agency that is involved in collection often hires attorneys to manage the collection process and to attempt collections. One reason an agency may do this involves the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, a federal law that limits the conduct of a collection agency attempting to collect debts. Violation of this law can result in heavy fines that a collection agency definitely wants to avoid. People also hire lawyers to negotiate on their behalf with a collection agency.