Don't Wait to Get Denied Before Finding an Attorney
By Douglas I. Friedman of Friedman Law Firm, P.C.
Thursday, April 27, 2017
It's a popular urban myth that you should wait to get denied before hiring an attorney for your Social Security disability case. We are not sure where this idea comes from, because retaining an attorney during the initial application process may have many benefits.
Some people think that by waiting to retain an attorney, they can see whether they get awarded at the initial level, and save paying an attorney's fee. We understand the reasoning, except that if your application is denied, you will probably have to wait a long time for your appeal to be decided. Currently, the wait is about eighteen months! So the question is: Would you rather pay an attorney's fee at the beginning, and have a better chance of winning, or wait a long time for your case to be resolved on appeal?
And, since attorney's fees are based upon the amount of past benefits you are owed after a favorable decision, the attorney's fee is usually less at the beginning of a case than after an appeal.
Most important, though, is that a qualified attorney knows how an initial application should be drafted, and what specific opinions to obtain from your doctors to help prove your case. So, this about which alternative is better. While we can't guarantee a favorable result, we file many application for clients at the initial level and secure awards for our clients.