I didn't go with Diane, but she seems like a legit advocate. Based on the consultation, I'd recommend her:
Here are Some tips when choosing an Social Security attorney:
Interview 4 minimum and then choose one
Try and find some one local since they know the judge and how the judge thinks. On the other hand, hiring someone local can work against you since they may not push the judge too much since they work with him regularly.
Referrals from people who have worked with attorney are safest option.
Some large attorneys advertise a TON and work on volumes of cases. AVOID THOSE. They won't give you the time of day, and won't customize much. Good small firms get most of their business from referrals and don't advertise much.
Look for lawyer who is only SSDI/SSI (not one who does 20 different things and SSDI is just one of 'em)
Look for lawyer who has at least 5-10 years of only social security experience.
JDs are usually better than Master's degrees for this. (They don't need JDs for this)
Have realistic expectations. A maximum amount of $8,000 isn't much for a lawyer.
How big is their case load? Less than 80 is a good amount of cases. Lawyers with hundreds of SSDI cases are no good. They're spreading themselves thin and You won't get customization you deserve
During interview, do they get back to you? Do they return your calls? Do they give you the time of day?
Are they arrogant? Did they answer all your questions? Are they condescending? Are they easy to talk to? Do they have attitudes?
Are they short-tempered?
You may work with them for 18 months to 4.5 years so choose wisely!
Do they exaggerate results? (Good attorneys don't lie/exaggerate or the ones that have high success rates may be extremely picky of cases they take)
When you call their offices and they rush you and are rude, nothing will change after they take your case.
Good luck read more