Think Your National Disability Lawyer Is Going to Help You?
We are constantly getting calls from potential clients who have used one of the national disability law firms to help with their disability cases. Why do they call the Ritchie Law Firm after using a national “company”? It’s usually because that large, national company has done nothing to help with their cases. Many people hire the national disability firms thinking they are more knowledgeable about disability and will win their cases. That’s not always the case, however. Do you think your national disability lawyer is going to help you?
What We Hear From Disability Callers
We find that our disability callers are getting suckered in to signing up with these companies. The company will tell them that their cases are sure fire winners or that they can get them to hearing faster. If any lawyer ever tells you your case is a “sure fire winner,” run away as fast as you can! No lawyer can know for certain how your case will play out to a disability judge. They may have a good feeling that you have a strong case, but they can’t say that it’s a sure winner.
Some companies also tell our callers that they can get them to hearing faster. This is just another scheme that suckers disability clients into signing up with them. The truth is, they can’t hurry your hearing along any faster than any other law firm can. Hearings are set by the regional hearings office when that office has finished processing the file. The only person who can, maybe, get you a hearing faster is your U.S. Congress representative.
As for the results of these national disability companies, we hear lots of things from our disability callers about that too! Some of those callers have told us that they never got to meet or talk with a lawyer. Some say that the “law firm” didn’t even have a file on them or didn’t request their medical records. Some have said that the national firm took their cases and then dropped them right before the hearing because they didn’t think the case was good enough. Still others were told that if they lose at the hearing, the national company will not appeal the case past the hearing.
Don’t get suckered into believing that the national disability companies are somehow better than a local lawyer who handles disability cases on a regular basis. In fact, the local lawyers who are experienced in disability cases will know the judges and will have tried many Social Security Disability hearings in the past.
Disability is something most people don’t like to think about. But the chances of you becoming disabled are probably greater than you realize. In fact, studies show that one in four young workers will become disabled at some point in his or her lifetime. Because few people think about having a safety net to fall back on in case they become disabled, that’s where Social Security Disability comes in.
Social Security Disability pays cash benefits to people who are not able to work for a year or more because of a physical or mental disability. If benefits are won, they continue until a person is able to work again on a regular basis.
What Does Disability Mean?
It’s important to understand how the Social Security Administration defines “disability.” This is because other government and private programs have different procedures for determining disability. Some programs may pay for partial disability or short-term disability. However, Social Security Disability does NOT.
Disability under Social Security is based on your inability to work. You will be considered disabled if you are unable to do any kind of work that you are suited for and if your disability is expected to last for at least a year or to result in death. So, you can see, Social Security uses a strict definition of disability.
Whether it’s true or not, Social Security assumes that working families have access resources to help provide support during periods of short-term disability. Those resources might include savings and investments or workers’ compensation, if applicable. The Disability program is designed to provide a supplemental income to you and your family if you are unable to work.
So How Do I Find A Disability Lawyer?
Most Social Security lawyers represent clients on a “contingency fee” basis. This means that they are paid a fee only if they win your case and you collect benefits. It is important that you hire a lawyer experienced in handling Social Security cases. Most lawyers will be interested in representing you if they think you have a good case, but how do you make the right choice?
Many lawyers dabble in Social Security Disability. Handling Disability cases can be tricky. The medical records need to be reviewed and prepared for the hearing before the Administrative Law Judge. Additionally, if any testing needs to be completed, your attorney should make sure that is completed as well.
Any lawyer you hire should be a specialist whose practice primarily handles these cases. A lawyer who routinely handles criminal cases, divorces, wills, and other legal matters may not have the depth of experience necessary to understand the complexity of a Social Security Disability case.
What Makes Ritchie Law Firm Different?
Before you hire any lawyer to handle your Social Security Disability claim, you should ask how many of these cases he or she has handled before. If that attorney can’t say they have handled hundreds of Disability cases and had success, he or she may not be the right lawyer for you.
That’s what makes us different. At the Ritchie Law Firm, we have a team of lawyers who have handled literally thousands of Social Security Disability cases. We understand the complexities of disability cases. Sure, we also handle personal injury cases. But, Social Security Disability cases are a different beast. And, we know how to handle them.
If you have been denied Social Security Disability benefits, our disability team will evaluate your case for FREE. Then, with no obligation and NO STRINGS ATTACHED, we’ll tell you our game plan for winning your case.
If you want your Social Security Disability case handled by a team of lawyers trained to handle this difficult area of the law that few lawyers know the first thing about, your search is over. Whatever stage of applying for benefits you are in, whether you haven’t yet applied or you’ve been denied, we are happy to help.
Click here to give us some details about your case.
Call Us Today To Talk With Our Disability Team
800-277-6124
