Mesa, Arizona – October 01, 2026 -- Gordon Newton, founder and CEO of Newton Group, is pushing for tighter regulation of how timeshare exit companies advertise attorney involvement, arguing consumers often can't tell whether a lawyer actually represents them before they pay.
Newton says marketing terms like "attorney-backed" don't answer who the lawyer actually represents.
In an op-ed published Sept. 15 in The National Law Review, titled "Attorney Involvement Is Not Attorney Representation," Newton argues that phrases such as "attorney-led," "in-house attorneys" or "attorneys on retainer" may be accurate but still leave the central question unanswered: who is the client?
"Paying an exit company for a service that includes attorney involvement does not, by itself, make the consumer the attorney's client," Newton said. "The issue is not whether an attorney is somewhere in the process. It is whose interests that attorney is legally obligated to protect."
The op-ed flags three specific areas for regulators to examine.
Newton calls for registration and accountability rules for companies collecting large upfront fees to resolve timeshare contracts, clearer disclosure of when an attorney-client relationship actually begins, and firmer boundaries around non-lawyer staff interpreting contracts or giving legal guidance.
Newton points to an August 2026 federal case as evidence of broader risk in the market.
The article cites a Department of Justice announcement regarding a timeshare fraud scheme in which FBI Director Kash Patel said losses topped $400 million.
Newton also references his company's Timeshare Exit Study, based on more than 10,000 owner-reported experiences, which found 55% of respondents had failed at least once trying to exit a timeshare, and more than one in four of those blamed the exit company they'd hired. The study is owner-reported, not a randomized national survey.
Newton wants written disclosure of attorney representation before any payment.
He argues companies advertising attorney involvement should state in writing who the attorney represents, when representation starts, and its scope — before a consumer hands over money.
"This is about clarity," Newton said. "If legal services or attorney involvement are part of what a company is selling, consumers deserve a straightforward answer before they pay: who does the lawyer actually represent?"