Seeking disability attorney tips

[Sophia3]

From another site...Not my words but excellent advice.

One of the advantages of having an attorney is that

attorneys know the law. Much of what is at issue at

a hearing are the legal fine points of your case.

Law firms also have others who assist the attorney with

things that will help your case, such as obtaining and

reviewing the information in your file and getting

additional information organized to be presented to

the ALJ.

Attorneys who practice Social Security law will probably

know the ALJ at the hearing and what to expect from that

ALJ. An attorney familiar with the ALJs can look for

evidence that is just the type of information the ALJ

favors. That is learned from experience.

If you are well enough to take care of your own case

and prepare for a hearing, you could be working in an

attorney's office, while you claim to be unable to work.

It makes no sense to demonstrate so much competence, and

if you are not that competent, how will you do it?

Hearings are not for amateurs. The medical exhibits may

be discussed, and if there is a Medical Examiner, he has

probably been doing this for years, so an attorney is needed

to respond to what he says. The ALJ will be asking questions,

too. The Vocational Expert will reply to the ALJ's questions,

and an attorney can respond to what the VE says. Unless you

been trained as an attorney, it is better to pay an attorney

or representative.

When choosing an attorney to handle your case, be sure he

knows what he is doing by asking your doctor or a local

support group for referals. Ask the attorney if s/he has

handled many hearings for others with your illness. Ask

how much experience the office staff members have. Also

see how well you seem to get along with the attorney, since

your fate may be in his/her hands.