Social Security Insider - Latest Comments in Will your Social Security disability lawyer rip you off?

Re: Will your Social Security disability lawyer rip you off?

Jackie Benedict — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 02:42:44 -0000

That’s what I’m going through right now. They sent me the withdrawal letter saying as I requested they are no longer representing me. Upon if and when I win my case, they will petition me for the work they have done. They never even disclosed how much. I could have pulled my own medical records from my doctors and filed myself. They said it takes 4-6 months to hear back from Social Security and it took 8 months. So they dragged it out longer letting me hang so they would get more? I wanted a law firm that would help me, not say they thought I had a strong case. They probably tell thousands of people that so they can rake in the cash. I’m really pissed. Would I get in trouble if I said which company?

Re: Will your Social Security disability lawyer rip you off?

TomaszStasiuk — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 08:01:23 -0000

Ok. Wow! Thank you for providing that additional information.

Re: Will your Social Security disability lawyer rip you off?

haydn bronte — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 01:08:27 -0000

Thanks for the reply Tomasz Stasiuk, The hearing judge did take the absence of the non-attorney representative as an affront. She called him on his cell phone on the spot and asked for an explanation for his absence. The representative told her that he realized he had a scheduling conflict the night before and had faxed something over to the office at that time. She asked for details of this scheduling conflict, then she checked the case logs and found he was not listed to be in any other hearing room that day. She signed the decision to not pay the fee right then and there. We received notification to that effect. Several months later, while still waiting for some of the back pay to be disbursed, we received 2 letters at the same time. One letter told us the rep had filed with some judge out of state to have the original judges order reversed, which some unknown person, acting for that judge granted. The other letter informed us the fee had been paid. We have filed a dispute with SSA but the 15 day deadline to file the dispute had passed before we even received the letter.

Re: Will your Social Security disability lawyer rip you off?

TomaszStasiuk — Sun, 02 Nov 2014 22:40:21 -0000

There is a more direct option. Fee agreement approval and payment are not automatic. Both the hearing decision and the notice of award provides options for disputing fee agreements / fee amounts.

Frankly, I have a hard time believing Social Security would ever approve fees for a rep who failed to appear at a hearing requiring the claimant to proceed without representation. I don't know a single judge who would not take that as an affront and deny the fee agreement for that. And if the judge denies the fee agreement, fees don't get paid.

Note: this is different from having a scheduling conflict and requesting a postponement/ rescheduling of the hearing.

Re: Will your Social Security disability lawyer rip you off?

haydn bronte — Sun, 02 Nov 2014 21:09:26 -0000

https://www.change.org/p/cl...

same thing happened to me.. sign this petition

Re: Will your Social Security disability lawyer rip you off?

TomaszStasiuk — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:32:11 -0000

Sorry about the bad experience with your lawyer. As I wrote about here: http://www.socialsecurityin... lawyers should work for their money. And most of them do. Sadly, it seems that bigger firm you go with, the more likely it is that you will be ignored.

Re: Will your Social Security disability lawyer rip you off?

Swart7355 — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:57:44 -0000

Hired an attorney for social security disability benefits, and this firm did nothing to help me. They got $1750.50 on my award and all they did was send me blank forms to sign to earn this money. BEWARE! Attorneys will stretch out the claim filing because the longer it takes, the more money they get. I never talked to my attorney or even seen her, except on a billboard. I started dealing with SSA on my own accord, and would send a copy to the attorney. I was advised by the firm that I should not do this. Well, because I did do this, I was awarded my disability...no thanks to them.