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Small town lawyers vs national law firms

Oct 8th, 2008
by Tomasz Stasiuk.

There are times when dealing with a large company is great: buying a car, for example. You do not want to be working with “Joe’s Car Hut.”

But any legal matter, especially a Social Security disability claim, needs a personal touch.

As a lawyer handling Social Security cases in Colorado, I have heard many people who worked with a national firm, tell me that the first time they met their attorney was at the hearing!

That is unacceptable!

Would you get medical treatment by phone?

Would you undergo surgery without ever meeting the doctor?

Of course not!

You want a doctor who knows you.  If you get sick, you want to call your doctor. Is your Social Security case any less important? NO!

I am not a national office.  I am my clients’ home town Social Security lawyer.   My clients can call or drop in my Colorado Springs office and speak to me directly (even on Saturdays).

If you are buying a car, go for a big company.  When you want legal services, go for someone who will be there for you.

Do you have a rave or a horror story about a lawyer, share it in the comments!

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  • Tom, as you might have learned from an earlier posting on my blog (www.truthofthematterasserted.blogspot.com) my first job out of law school was working with a national law firm representing Social Security Disability claimants. Because of the "national" feel to the firm, I never interviewed a client face to face. In fact, our office discouraged the claimant from ever talking to the attorney. Mainly, because we did not know which attorney was going to the hearing site until about 2 days before the hearing. The assignment would be given during a round table. The conversation would go something like this:

    Partner: "We have 2 hearings in Reno, Nevada coming up in 3 days, who wants it"
    Attorney 1: "Not me, I'm in Denver the day before"
    Attorney 2: "No can do, I've got hearings in Boise on that Monday and then I fly to Las Vegas 2 days after that."
    Me: "I guess I can cover it, who's the Judge?"
    Partner: "Araki"
    Me: "That's fine, I like him. He's a pretty fair Judge" (sidenote - Judge Araki hated our national firm, he once asked
    me what time the night before did I read the file)
    Me: "Who are the clients?"
    Partner: "Let me see.......46 year old female with fibromyalgia and headaches, the other is a 39 year old mother of 3,
    SSI only, with IBS and Diabetes. FYI, we didn't get the medical file copied so if you could fly in early, grab the
    Judge's file before the hearing."
    Me: "Let me get this straight, the hearing is with Judge Araki, I have to read the file before the hearing and develop
    a theory for allowance and get my questioning ready for a client I do not know and does not know me. Do they
    have a name?
    Partner: "You can get the name from the Security Guard when you get there, I didn't have time to write it down."

    Needless to say, the day of the hearing I was the first one at the hearing site, ready to speed read medical records. I would have to walk in to the waiting room and announce the claimant's name who I was there to represent. Within 10 minutes I would have to conduct an interview, makes notes hastily, and try to do my best. I am glad that that was a short period of my life and career. I wholeheartedly agree with what you have said in this post. More so than any other practice of law, you need to know your attorney that is representing you.
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