If you are involved in a disability case, hiring a lawyer can be crucial to ensuring that you get the full settlement you deserve. According to statistics, claimants who hire a lawyer have a higher likelihood of receiving benefits, especially if their case goes to court.
Finding a good disability lawyer to represent you is essential. Below, you’ll learn more about what to look for to make sure you find the right lawyer for your case.
Look for Good Communication Skills
The best disability lawyers are those who treat you with respect and proactively communicate with you.
When you first contact a lawyer, make note of how you are treated. Are the lawyer and the firm’s staff professional? The answer should be yes. When it’s time to talk to a lawyer, remember that disability firms are often busy, so it’s normal if you cannot speak to a lawyer as soon as you call. That said, the staff should offer to schedule a consultation in the very near future. Although a consultation is often limited to a specific amount of time, you should have enough time to get the information you need without feeling rushed.
It is also essential to have a point of contact at the firm who can return your calls and answer your questions. Find out about the firm’s support staff, whether you will have a case manager, and how many clients the case manager is typically working with. This will give you a sense of how easy or difficult it will be to access the help you need throughout the legal process.
Find out how often your contact will call you with case updates, whether there is a paralegal you will work with, and whether the firm will take care of requesting your medical records. By asking these questions, you’ll get a sense of whether the firm will provide the level of responsiveness and communication you need.
Find out About Outcomes and Approval Rates
No good lawyer will promise you that your benefits claim will definitely be approved. The best lawyers will review the facts of your case and give you an honest answer about your claim.
If you ask a lawyer whether your claim will be approved, they should respond by pointing out strengths and weaknesses in your case and identifying strategies to improve the likelihood of your approval. Strong lawyers will also admit that they probably cannot get your disability claim processed any more quickly than you could alone, but that they can help you meet deadlines and alleviate your stress.
To get a clearer sense of the firm’s success in disability cases, ask your lawyer or contact about the firm’s approval rate. Find out the percentage of approvals that occur, how many of these happen during hearings, and how many are for full versus partial benefits. A good disability firm will always have these numbers on hand and be ready to share them with you. Another good way to get a sense of the quality of the firm is to ask for references, which should also be readily shared.
Evaluate the Lawyer’s Expertise
There are many ways to evaluate a disability lawyer’s level of expertise. Below is a list of key areas that can help you discover this.
Credentials
There are a variety of questions you can ask to find out more details about a lawyer’s expertise. Ask how long they have practiced disability law, whether they are licensed, the number of disability cases they handle each year, whether they participate in ongoing training or education, and how long they’ve been practicing in their current location. Location experience is important because a lawyer who has practiced in an area for a long time will likely have a stronger understanding of how judges in that area tend to decide these cases, and can adjust their arguments as needed depending on the judge.
Expertise in Specific Case Types
Some disability lawyers have expertise in specific medical conditions, which can often help your case. Find out how many cases of your type the lawyer has handled and how they approached them. Especially in cases involving mental illness and drug or alcohol abuse, it can be challenging to win your claim. If this applies to you, you’ll want to know more about your lawyer’s success rate in this area.
Children’s cases also require specific knowledge because they are very different from cases involving adults. If your case is for a child, make sure the firm has experience in childhood disability cases. You should also find out about the lawyer’s approval rate in this area.
Now that you have some tips for locating a good disability lawyer, it’s time to begin your search for the right lawyer to represent you.
Consult with a disability lawyer today to better understand your case and what you are entitled to.
