While there are often non-attorney “advocates” available to you in the world of disability claims, many times a licensed disability attorney is going to have better training, more specific knowledge, a better understanding of the system and often more experience. This all adds up to giving you a better chance at better results. The key differences between advocates and disability lawyers are:

• It requires much more effort to become an attorney: typically an attorney will have multiple college degrees, and they have to take the LSAT exam before law school. After about 3 years of law school, an attorney must pass the state bar (most states, require a bar applicant to graduate from Law School).
• Attorneys are held to higher standards and more in-depth rules, and they must answer to their State Bar Associations.
• Because attorneys must be formally trained and educated, they generally have more knowledge about the law and legal matters. Suppose in the course of your disability claim, your disability was caused by work-related injury, a car accident or the errors of a doctor- do you think an advocate is trained to even screen for these other cases and recognize potential statute of limitations?
• Exactly what education and special training must an “advocate” have? Who knows?
• Attorneys are specifically trained in advocacy, so they can better represent you both in the courtroom and out.
• “Advocates” are generally limited to administrative work. They cannot file a lawsuit for you. Do you really think the SSA is NOT aware of this distinction? Who do you think has more clout with the SSA: an attorney who can sue them, or an “advocate” who cannot file a basic lawsuit?
• Many advocates use the same contingent fee process and charge the same fee as attorneys in SSA disability cases! Why not get all the benefits of a licensed Social Security attorney in Louisville since you are paying the same fees?

We work with you to prepare your case and meet with you to explain it before your hearing so that you feel confident, prepared and comfortable in court. As a lawyers whose primary focus is disability law, we are able to keep a laser focus on your case and track down the medical evidence to support it.

JUST WHO IS YOUR DISABILITY REPRESENTATIVE?

If you aren’t sure whether you are talking to an advocate or an attorney, ASK!

In fact, be proactive, ask where they went to law school, when they were licensed and in how many states. ASK FIRST – do not assume someone is a lawyer. It is on you to know who you are hiring on the front end. If someone claims to be an “attorney-at-law”, ask them to point you to the wall where you can find their State Bar admission.

Contact Sullivan Law Office today for a disability attorney that will stand by your side and provide you with the experience, knowledge and qualifications you need to fight effectively for your benefits.

NOTE: For the most common contested disability claim (which is about 99% of what we see and involve medical issues), all attorney fees are contingent upon winning, so you do not pay if we do not win. Since we have handled disability claims for over 2 decades, from time to time we get some very odd situations, and those cases may be billed differently. We will be very clear with you about the nature of your case and any fees. We always offer a FREE CONSULTATION. Case costs and court fees are the responsibility of the client.