How many thousands are we talking? Depending on the state, you might be able to just walk this into small claims court. Some have a $5K limit, some have $10K, find out what your state's limit is for small claims. If your lost amount of money falls within that range, you don't need a lawyer and lawyers are not allowed in the courtroom for such cases generally speaking. Walk to the court house, file your paperwork with the court, have someone NOT related to the case serve the person you're suing and have them sign the appropriate proof of service paperwork, which the court clerk should give to you. After that, it's just waiting for the court day to be declared, both parties are notified by the court of that, and then you go into the court room on that date.

Usually, big companies don't show up in small claims, so they default, and you can simply file a lien on them and get your money back either by cash or by equipment. You get to literally walk in to their building, with cops by your side, and start taking stuff until the lien is settled. Or you can walk to their bank with the court order, and have it yanked directly from their account. I've done both. It's fun.