The Cochran Firm -- the one that is supposed to be related to the late Johnnie Cochran of the O.J. Simpson trial fame -- is now advertising, at least on the internet, for Social Security disability clients.
You have to wonder just how much they know about the subject since they seem to be seeking clients with Down Syndrome. Of course, Down Syndrome is disabling, but folks with Down Syndrome are almost always approved quickly and do not need an attorney. There would not be enough of a fee in the average Down Syndrome case to make it worth an attorney's time anyway.
There is also the issue that affects any outfit which tries to represent Social Security claimants nationwide -- how do you represent people who will be having hearings all across the United States? It would take hundreds of offices and thousands of employees all across the country to do this properly. No entity representing Social Security disability claimants has that kind of network. So what does the Cochran Firm do, work through local attorneys and non-attorneys, which means that the Cochran Firm exists for little more than advertising purposes, or try to deal with the claimant only over the telephone until the day of the hearing and then parachute in someone to represent the claimant at the hearing, which is expensive for the firm and not too satisfactory for the claimant? Either way, a "national" firm representing Social Security disability claimants has a lot of problems.
You have to wonder just how much they know about the subject since they seem to be seeking clients with Down Syndrome. Of course, Down Syndrome is disabling, but folks with Down Syndrome are almost always approved quickly and do not need an attorney. There would not be enough of a fee in the average Down Syndrome case to make it worth an attorney's time anyway.
There is also the issue that affects any outfit which tries to represent Social Security claimants nationwide -- how do you represent people who will be having hearings all across the United States? It would take hundreds of offices and thousands of employees all across the country to do this properly. No entity representing Social Security disability claimants has that kind of network. So what does the Cochran Firm do, work through local attorneys and non-attorneys, which means that the Cochran Firm exists for little more than advertising purposes, or try to deal with the claimant only over the telephone until the day of the hearing and then parachute in someone to represent the claimant at the hearing, which is expensive for the firm and not too satisfactory for the claimant? Either way, a "national" firm representing Social Security disability claimants has a lot of problems.
Legal rep agencies have nothing better to do with their lives. Pure fleecing.
ReplyDeleteI would have thought their niche would be getting survivors benefits for people that killed a family member to be eligible.
ReplyDelete"There is also the issue that affects any outfit which tries to represent Social Security claimants nationwide -- how do you represent people who will be having hearings all across the United States?"
ReplyDeleteThe way we handle that is by conducting much of our business by phone, fax, and computer. When it's time for a hearing, we travel to where the claimant is (at our own expense) to be there in person. Even our local clients prefer to do most of our business by phone because it's more convenient for THEM.
It's a ridiculous assumption that a firm would need to have hundres of offices all over the country and thousands of employees to handle claims that are not local.
We don't bite off more than we can chew, and we are very successful with our out-of-state cases. Many times we are able to obtain an on-the-record decision and it's not even necessary for us to attend a hearing in another state.
Our claimants are very happy with the service we provide them and we have never had a single complaint from our clients who are in other states. They don't have to choose us and we let them know up front that they have a choice.
May I inquire of A#3 when did they begin providing their services? It's my experience that actually attending hearings increases the allowance rate. But, what do I know? Only worked in SSA 32 years. You know, surely that establishes absolutely no credibility for my views. Tag as snark.
ReplyDeleteI am #3 and we represent claimants from the initial level forward. I've worked in this field for many years. Our goal is to get claims approved as quickly as possible.
ReplyDeleteWe do attend hearings in other states when needed, but I think that building a successful case takes a lot more than just showing up on the date of a hearing.
Our success is attributable to developing cases on an ongoing basis, collecting medical source statements and records, writing effective pre-hearing briefs, and knowing what to do when we do attend hearings regardless of where the ODAR happens to be.