Went from a big firm to a solo lawyer and got my claim approved in 3 months

I used to think you needed a big disability law firm with 50 lawyers to win your case. So I signed with one of those huge outfits in Los Angeles back in 2022. They assigned me a paralegal who barely returned my calls and I waited 14 months with zero updates. Finally I fired them and hired a solo lawyer my cousin recommended down in Orange County. This guy handled everything himself, called me every two weeks, and knew the judge's history in my hearing. He got my SSDI approved in just 3 months after the hearing. Now I tell everyone to find a smaller lawyer who actually pays attention to your case instead of just shuffling paperwork. Has anyone else had better luck with a solo practitioner over the big firms?

2 comments

2 Comments

carr.elliot25d ago

That part about knowing the judge's history is HUGE. I had a solo lawyer for a workers comp thing a few years back and he knew exactly which judges would buy certain medical evidence and which ones would shut it down. Big firms just toss a file at whoever is cheapest. Mine called me on a Sunday once just to ask about a weird symptom I mentioned. Three months after the hearing is crazy fast too, most people I know waited six months to a year just for a decision.

terryk1025d ago

I read a piece a while back from this old workers comp attorney who retired and wrote a blog about how he'd keep handwritten notes on judges for years. Stuff like which ones actually read the medical reports versus just listening to the testimony, or which ones got real pissy if you filed a motion late. He said it was the difference between winning and losing half the time. That Sunday call from your guy sounds exactly like that kind of attention, where they're not just checking boxes. Three months is lightning fast, most of the guys I know who went through comp waited eight months easy.