Firm News

Here in Oakland and the Bay Area, Social Security is open, but no longer doing business as usual. The Field Offices are closed to public contact, but they continue to communicate by phone and mail. The Oakland hearing office (and presumably others) has suspended...

We established this blog to share stories and information about topics relevant to our practice. Our intent is to regularly provide posts highlighting legal issues of local, state and national interest that we think you will find interesting. Check back later for...

Element 7:Preparing for a Successful ALJ Hearing The majority of individuals who apply for Social Security disability beneftis will have to appear for a hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). The ALJ will ultimately decide whether or not you are...

     Why does Congress want to reduce Social Security Disability Insurance benefits for millions of Americans in 2016? The answer lies in the nature of the specific benefits, and where the funding for disability benefits originate. Title II of the Social Security Act...

Element 6: The Importance of Medical Evidence According to the Social Security Administration website, SSA.gov, "medical evidence is the cornerstone of the disability determination" for both Social Security Disability Insurance (Title II), and for SSI (Title XVI)...

Element 5: Ensuring Maximum Past Due Benefits Are Paid to Our Clients - The Public Disability Offset Past due benefits (a.k.a. retroactive benefits) are paid to claimants after a favorable disability determination is reached. It is our job to make sure that our...

Element 4: Establish and Maintain Credibility Of Our Clients and the Attorney A fourth element of effective representation is credibility. This includes not only maintaining the credibility of the attorney, but establishing the credibility of our client. The...

Element 3: Strong Advocacy Before and During the Hearing: Claimant and Expert Testimony A third element of effective representation is advocacy, which involves asserting a strong, solid theory of disability. Effective advocacy involves many aspects, including the...

Element 2: Preparation for the Hearing: Submitting and Evaluating Medical Evidence A second element of effective representation is preparation. After meeting with our client, the attorney sets in motion an individual case plan to ensure that all relevant medical...

Element 1 : Communication Between Client and Attorney The first element of effective representation is communication. For our firm, communication begins by having the client meet with his/her attorney at the beginning of the case. This serves two purposes. First, the...