Illinois Lawyer Referrals and Legal Guidance
Do I Need a Social Security Attorney?
Findgreatlawyers.com is the leading resource for people who are looking for Illinois social security attorneys. Since 2001 we have helped tens of thousands of people who have Illinois legal matters through our free service which allows you to contact us for attorney referrals or legal guidance. You can speak with our staff of lawyers by calling (312) 346-5320. There is no charge and we will do whatever we can to help you, even if that helps you realize that you don’t need an attorney.
This page is designed to help you decide if you need an Illinois social security lawyer. Unlike some areas of law, the advice on this page applies no matter where you live. In other words, whether you are looking for an Aurora social security lawyer or a disability attorney in Edwardsville, Evanston or any other part of the state this general advice will usually apply.
When applying for social security disability benefits for the first time, you do not need an attorney. You simply fill out the paperwork and see what their response is. To do this you go to a local social security office. Even if you wanted an attorney at that time you wouldn’t likely find one as lawyers can not get paid for their work at this stage in the process. Because the whole process can take time the sooner you file the better.
If your initial application is denied you will be offered the opportunity to ask for a reconsideration. You should ask for this right away and again you don’t need a SSDI attorney in Illinois to do so. Lawyers still are not allowed in this stage of the process and the best advice any of them could give you is to make sure you have medical documentation that states you are disabled from working and that period will last at least 12 months.
If you are denied on reconsideration then you should immediately seek legal representation and ask for a formal hearing before an administrative officer. You aren’t required to have a lawyer at this stage, but statistically, a claimant is more likely to be successful if he has an attorney than if he does not. Some times this is because an attorney knows what to say and other times it is because they have a relationship with the hearing officer.
The good news is that if you do reach the point where you need to hire an Illinois social security attorney for a disability appeal, they all work on a contingency basis which means that they only get paid if they are successful for you. In addition, their fee is limited to a percentage of the benefits that you have already been denied. They do not take any money from the future benefits you may receive in the future.
If you are ever going to get a social security lawyer this is the time to do it as if you lose at this hearing level the standard for winning your case becomes much more difficult and most of the attorneys we know do not get involved at the next level.
If you have any questions as to whether or not you need a social security attorney please complete our confidential contact form or call us at (800) 517-1614. We would be happy to try and help you.
Findgreatlawyers.com is the leading resource for people looking for Illinois social security law firms. We use our state-wide network to help our users. From Waukegan to Aurora, from Peoria to Carbondale and everywhere in between, see for yourself why people think that our service is like having a lawyer in the family.