You have been diagnosed with a medical condition and are unable to work. If your condition is unlikely to get better anytime soon and you have paid into the SSDI program, you can claim disability benefits. Sadly, a considerable number of social security disability claims are denied, often because the paperwork is not done right. Also, the program itself is a complex one with numerous legal jargon, requirements, and stringent rules. Your best bet is to engage an attorney for your case. When it comes to social security disability claims, firms like Gallo, Cazort & Co. Law Firm offer all the support that clients need to proceed with their cases. In this post, we are sharing the things you must discuss before engaging a disability lawyer.
Work profile
You don’t need any random lawyer, but someone who deals with social security disability claims as their primary area of practice. As a prospective client, you should ask questions like –
- How long have you been taking up social security disability claims and appeals?
- How many years of dedicated experience do you have?
- What is your success rate?
- Will you guide me on the necessary paperwork?
- What do you expect from my claim?
- Who else from your team would be working on my case?
Fee
All disability lawyers typically take a contingency fee, which is a percentage of your back pay that you get, but there’s also a limit to what they can take. The standard norm is 25%, but there’s also an upper cap on that amount. However, you are still expected to pay for a few expenses, which the lawyer should discuss in advance. Make sure that you discuss the same before you get the attorney on board.
Communication
You should be able to contact your disability lawyer when needed. Yes, lawyers are busy people and may not answer your calls directly, but they usually have a team that handles all of that. Ensure that you have a clear line of communication. You should also ask how often they take client calls and if you can contact them for questions.
Finally, remember that disability lawyers can only do this much. The actual process can take time, often two years or more, and therefore, beware of an attorney who wants to claim great things about speeding up the process. Even with the complicated steps, you can expect to get things done professionally and without mistakes with an attorney on your side.
