Let me first give you a real life example of what good legal service is not. I was walking into the Social Security hearing office the other day when I encountered a familiar scene. Another attorney had arrived a moment earlier and was surveying the waiting room. I went over to my client, which caused the other attorney to approach the only other claimant in the waiting room.
“Mr. Pittman?” He asked. “Its nice to meet you. I am your attorney. Let’s go prepare for your hearing,” he said.
I cringed. That poor disability claimant was meeting his attorney for the first time fifteen minutes before his Social Security hearing. What kind of preparation can you do in fifteen minutes? The answer is “not much.” If Mr. Pittman was like most claimants, he had waited around two years to get to the hearing. Yet, his attorney had not spared the time to meet with him prior to the hearing even once.
Unfortunately, this kind of scenario is increasingly common. Big “TV firms” are filling the airwaves offering representation in Social Security disability claims. Many of these firms, however, don’t do much real work to help win the case. They only send someone out to meet the disability claimant a few minutes before the hearing. This leaves no time for meaningful hearing preparation, and no time to fix any weaknesses in the claimant’s case. How are these guys adding value? Some “TV firms” don’t even use licensed attorneys to represent clients in Social Security cases. This isn’t the way to practice Social Security law.
At Lennon, Camak, and Bertics, PLLC, you will work closely with a licensed attorney at all stages of your case. Our clients have our direct telephone numbers and email addresses, and we communicate with our clients throughout the long and often difficult application process. We help our client build the medical evidence they need to win. We identify weaknesses in the evidence, and work to fix those weaknesses so that your case is as strong as possible come hearing time. Before you step into that Social Security hearing room, you will have prepared extensively with your attorney for the hearing. We are all attorneys with extensive Social Security law experience. We know how to navigate the complicated maze of Social Security rules and regulations to best increase your chance of winning your case.
Before you hire any Social Security firm to help you with your case, you should find out what they actually intend to do to help you win. Not all “TV firms” engage in the practices discussed above. But, you need to find out if the firm you call will have an attorney represent you both before and at the hearing. You need to find out if the firm you call wants you to work with a “case manager” rather than an attorney who will help fix problems in your case before the hearing. If they are not going to spend the attorney time on you that you need to win, why should you put your trust in them?