The Social Security Administration provides financial support to disabled residents of the United States in the form of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
However, receiving this financial support often proves difficult. Many people find themselves stumped during the application process or are denied benefits even if they meet the criteria to receive them.
If you’re struggling with an application for Social Security benefits or believe your application was wrongly denied, an attorney can help you claim the benefits you’re owed. Learn how to find a good Social Security Disability attorney in Illinois, and how Nessler & Associates can help you get the benefits you deserve.
Ask for Recommendations
While you can find many directories of lawyers online, they’re often full of sponsored listings. Skilled attorneys may lack reviews because they are busy representing clients instead of focusing on marketing their firm.
Instead, ask people you know for attorney recommendations. Even if they have not worked directly with a Social Security lawyer, they may recommend a firm like Nessler & Associates that handles multiple practice areas, including SSI, SSDI, long-term disability, and workplace injuries.
Assess Their Experience
Unlike personal injury or workers’ compensation claims, where your ability to recover damages is based on Illinois law, Social Security Disability law is a federal matter. Additionally, some challenges or legal claims can affect your Social Security Disability benefits, even if they seem completely separate. You’ll need an attorney with appropriate experience to handle your case.
For example, you want to file for both SSDI and get compensation from your workplace’s long-term disability insurance. If filed incorrectly, your long-term disability payments could reduce your SSDI payments or even make you ineligible for SSDI.
A lawyer with many years of experience handling long-term disability and Social Security claims can correct these kinds of errors and ensure you get your full SSDI payments.
Look into Their Past Cases
If your lawyer has previous experience with Social Security disability claims, it’s important to know what kind of results they’ve achieved.
Some attorneys will post successful claims or settlements on their website, but you should also ask the attorney directly if they’ve handled cases similar to yours and what the results were. This gives you an idea of how many successful cases they’ve handled and what the outcome of your case might look like.
Review past client testimonials listed on the lawyer’s website or on their social media pages to get an idea of how they’ve handled past cases and the satisfaction of their clients.
Inquire About Communication Frequency
Most people want to be able to reach their lawyer within a reasonable amount of time in case they have an urgent question or need to pass along new information. While you can ask your lawyer about how often you’ll hear from them or how quickly they’ll respond to you, you should also assess how quickly they reply to phone calls or emails.
Generally, a reliable attorney will get back to you within one to two business days and take the time to answer your questions thoroughly.
See if You Feel Comfortable
You will need to feel comfortable disclosing all the relevant facts to your attorney to have any chance at successfully settling your SSDI claim. That means you’ll need to provide them with medical records, discuss the events or circumstances that led to your disability, and provide proof of income. If you don’t feel comfortable sharing this information, you may want to look for another lawyer.
Consider how you feel when asking questions or discussing your legal options. A trustworthy attorney should answer questions clearly and patiently and let you decide what kind of legal action you want to pursue.
If you feel that your attorney is rude or impatient when you ask questions or like they’re pressuring you to make a specific choice or action, schedule a consultation with a different attorney.
Ask About Their Fees
You don’t want to hire a lawyer you can’t afford, especially when you’re unable to work. It’s possible that you could be working with your attorney for months or years, particularly if you’re appealing a denied claim. During your free consultation, ask your lawyer what their rates and fees look like.
Traditionally, law firms charge hourly fees with a possible initial retainer payment. For example, you might pay a one-time retainer fee, then be charged an hourly rate to file paperwork with the court.
Most law offices pursuing Social Security-related claims work on contingency fees. At Nessler & Associates, we do not require payment unless your claim is successful; if it is, we will collect a portion of your final settlement as payment.
In Illinois, the contingency fee limit is 33⅓ of a settlement, so we won’t charge more than a third of your final compensation award.
Nessler & Associates Can Help With Your Disability Claim
Finding the right Social Security disability attorney in Chicago, Illinois, can be difficult. If you’re looking for help with the filing process or planning to appeal a denied application, contact Nessler & Associates.
Our attorneys are committed to representing clients from all over the state of Illinois in their Social Security disability claims.
We understand the challenges of filing for disability and the kind of financial situation you may be facing. You don’t have to worry about payment, as our no-fee guarantee ensures that you won’t owe us anything unless we settle or win your claim.
Call us at (800) 727-8010 or fill out our online form to schedule a free case evaluation.