Why Should I Hire This Law Firm ?
Social Security disability insurance and Supplemental Security Income applications are challenging. In addition to the basic law, Social Security also has Regulations, Rulings, the Program Operations Manual and federal caselaw to consider. An advocate must be familiar with all of these parts of the law before giving you advice.
When you first speak with a representative you want to find out their experience in representing Social Security disability Claimants. Some personal injury and workers' compensation law firms represent SSDI Claimants as a "side practice" and do not devote much attention to these cases. You want to make sure that your representative focuses on this area of the law and has the support of the law firm.
You should also ask about the attorney the law firm will be assigning to your case. Will an attorney be at your hearing, or a non-attorney representative? Will that attorney be working for the law firm or will the firm hire a random independent attorney who will never work on your file but just show up at the hearing. Many national law firms use these independent contractor lawyers on a regular basis and you should know that before you sign a Retainer Agreement.
The support team assigned to your file will be critical because they are the ones who will be your contacts with the firm throughout the case. How many paralegals work with this firm and what is their experience? Will they be responsive to your calls and emails? Will you be given their names or will your contact be with random people working in a pool?
You should also question the law firm about their technology. Can you communicate with them by email? Can you work via text? Do they have up to date case management software so that issues are not missed while your case is pending?
You can also check with your state's attorney registration and disciplinary committee to make certain that no actions have been filed by the state regulators against this attorney.
Online reviews are useful but should be viewed with caution – often the online review is a function of the outcome of the case which is not always dependent upon the quality of the lawyer.
Your representative should be active with the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives (NOSSCR) which is the national bar association for this area of law, and should also be an active participant in the social services community in your area. That demonstrates the passion for working with people with disabilities and helping others.
These are general considerations and questions you should ask any potential representative. The lawyers who work with www.mysocialsecurityattorney.com are people focused in this area of law and should satisfy all of the criteria in this discussion!
