Speaking with a disability attorney in Palm Bay, Florida, we learned a great deal about how disability law differs from other kinds. There are actually many differences. Let’s go over some of those together.
Disability law refers to laws which protect disabled people from being victimized. It also encompasses Social Security Disability suits and back-payments. Disability attorneys specialize in representing people who are disabled and family members working on their behalf.
Payment Structure
A criminal attorney or divorce attorney can charge their clients as much as they like, just so long as they are clear about their fees from the start. A disability attorney is limited to $9,200 for the life of their relationship with the client.
Disability attorneys also only get paid of their client wins. Many personal injury attorneys have a similar set up but have no or very high limits on how much they charge. An attorney for a huge injury case can make millions of dollars.
Differences in Adversary
In a personal injury case, the lawsuit is usually against a private citizen, property owner, or business. In disability law, the overwhelming majority of cases are involving the client trying to secure payment from the U.S. government.
Disability law is pretty clear cut when it comes to how it is written on the books. An attorney helps their client file a claim, an appeal or sue for back-pay.
Most of the time, a disability attorney’s most valuable service is the collection of medical data and the proper filing of a claim. This is because the process can take many months and if a private citizen makes a mistake on their claim, they basically have to start over. An attorney improves their rate of being approved on the first application by about 100%. They also double the likelihood of winning an appeal.
Conclusion
Disability attorneys are not in the business to get rich. Sure, they can earn a very good living. But the hidden reward is helping so many people get the payments they deserve. People pay into the system from their very first paycheck and have the right to payments should they not be able to work any longer. Over their lifetime, a person with an average wage may pay as much as $363,000 into the Social Security system.