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Showerthought: I used to just take whatever lawyer Google showed first for my disability case
For my first SSDI application back in 2018 I literally picked a law office that had the biggest ad on Google. You know, like a fool. I spent 6 months with them doing basically nothing while they sent in forms late. Then my brother told me about this lawyer in Fresno who actually specialized in the exact kind of back condition I have (stenosis and all that). I switched to her at the hearing level and she got my case approved in 3 months flat. Now I research any lawyer like I'm buying a used car - check their actual court win rates, look up their name on the state bar site, and read what past clients say on Yelp. Has anyone else realized your local Social Security office's calendar is public info? You can see how many hearings each lawyer has done and how many they won.
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gavin6921mo ago
223 denials between two lawyers before I found a good one. I used to think bigger firm meant better chance, but that first guy I hired had a 34% win rate and I didn't even check. My cousin's neighbor told me to look up a lawyer named Sarah Chen in Sacramento who had something like 78% wins for back cases. I was skeptical but I switched and she turned my case around in 2 months. Now I tell everyone to treat lawyer shopping like a background check not a beauty contest. Those public hearing calendars are eye opening when you see who actually shows up prepared.
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