***If you need a disability attorney, I can wholeheartedly recommend Sharmine. She--and her…read morestaff--are amazingly talented, organized and professional.***
I have been a client of Sharmine Persaud for almost two years now. Realistically that's how long social security disability cases can drag along if you're initially denied, unfortunately. With this amount of time, you can get a real sense of the type of work someone does, and how well the office is run.
When I was first scouting around for an attorney, I looked at some of the big name firms you see advertised and had initially thought that would be the way to go. I figured if disability cases are their forte, the big name firms probably are great at knowing how to handle them. But after doing some research, reading reviews, I felt less sure about that. Lots of people wrote about getting the big welcoming talk when you're signing on, and then after that you're just a name in a file. Luckily, my brother had heard good things about Sharmine from a co-worker, and he told me about her. I was at first reluctant because her office isn't particularly close to my home and I thought it would be easier to find someone nearby. However, since my brother had recommended her, I figured I'd give her a shot. I made an appointment with her, and also made an appointment with an attorney closer to home. After meeting with Sharmine, I cancelled the other appointment and never looked back. The reality is that I only had to go there in person three times I think. Everything was handled through calls, mail & emails.
So often when I contact a doctor's office, insurance company, a contractor, co-worker, etc. I find that I have to call several times to get even the simplest things done. Too often I find that people just look to not do their jobs, they tell you to call back, they forget to send you something, they take forever to respond, etc. This is NOT the case with Sharmine Persaud's office. When you deal with Sharmine and her staff, it's immediately apparent that they are ON TOP of everything. Sharmine's paralegal, Lillian Vaquiz worked with me personally throughout the process and I can swear that I never waited more than an hour for a response during the day, and if I emailed late, I heard from her first thing in the morning. Lillian, Atasha, Belle.....all intelligent, responsive, kind people (hope I'm not forgetting anyone!). They answer calls, they answer emails immediately, they send you paperwork the day you speak to them, they file paperwork with social security as quickly as possible, and then stay on the case. They follow up time and time again with doctors' office to get your treatment notes. Simply put, they are all AMAZING.
If you need a disability attorney, I PROMISE you will not be disappointed here. Don't just look for someone who is close by, don't just look for the big name, look for someone who knows what they're doing, who knows all about social security procedures, and will know about you and your case inside out. Good luck!
