Now accepting clients in all 50 States, Puerto Rico & the U.S. Virgin Islands
The Law Offices of Marder, Bernard & Associates were founded on the principle that every claimant has the right to be represented by a qualified attorney, during every step of their claim. “You have the right to an attorney” has significant meaning for Social Security Disability claimants; especially people whose disabilities interfere with their ability to effectively participate in the lengthy process of claiming Social Security benefits. The right to have your case heard before the Social Security Administration is the very same right we have been defending for our clients since we opened the doors of our first office in South Florida in 1990.
Our founding partner, Lilli W. Marder, began her career working for the Social Security Administration where she developed a strong interest in the field of Disability Law. After years of experience handling the legal aspects of Disability and Social Security cases from the Social Security Administration’s side, she retired from her government position and started her own practice. Out of this single office has grown three fully staffed offices serving claimants nationwide, with two in South Florida; Miami and Fort Lauderdale, along with our Puerto Rico office located in San Juan.
Our offices have been pioneers in the field of Social Security Disability Law. We make great efforts to stay at the forefront of the changes in Disability Law and Social Security Procedure; utilizing state of the art practices and technology to insure a smooth changeover into the new electronic disability system. Please visit our Articles section to learn more and get regular updates on these and other hot topics.
Recent changes in Social Security Rules now permit non-attorneys to represent claimants and permit direct payment of a fee to non-attorney advocates. But these so called “non-attorney advocates” charge the same fee as attorneys.
Why would anyone hire a non-attorney to represent them, when they can hire a real attorney for the same fee?
A licensed attorney could pursue your claim to completion and take it through all stages of appeal. A licensed attorney has the knowledge and deep understanding of the law to fully understand all the legal implications in your case and must conform to strict ethical rules.
A real attorney cannot make misleading claims and promise you a big check or to win your case, like other “disability advocates” have in the past.
The approval or denial of a Social Security Disability case is a legal determination, why not get a real lawyer?
What they don’t tell you is that when you hire a non-attorney, if you fail to win your case at lower levels of appeal, you could arrive at a point where the non-attorney can’t continue to appeal your case… then you may be in a bad situation. The sad truth is that other attorneys will shy away from a case taken through the lower levels by a non-attorney. You may be forced to start again, and lose years of benefits in the process.
If you go to a Hearing before an Administrative Law Judge with a non-attorney representing you and you lose, who is going to continue to fight for you at the Appeals Council, the Federal District Courts, Circuit Courts of Appeal, or even the Supreme Court of the United States, if it were necessary?
Permitting non-attorneys to represent Social Security claimants was intended by Social Security to make paralegal services available to those who can’t find an attorney able to handle the bureaucracy and complicated procedural world of Social Security Disability. But the good news is that you can generally find an attorney to take your case, and that it costs the same as representation by accredited non-attorney.
The Law Offices of Marder, Bernard and Associates have a modern attorney response to this situation with locations in Puerto Rico and Southern Florida. We take cases from all 50 states, United States Territories, and all over the world.
We are a firm of experienced, licensed attorneys; who continuously invest in the latest technology to keep pace with new developments in the practice of Disability Law, and especially the latest advances in electronic services with the Social Security Administration.
We take Video Hearings when prudent and desired by a claimant to speed up getting their case in front of an administrative law judge. We apply for our claimants, and appeal, electronically with Internet-based applications that use secure government websites. We follow the progress of your case online through the same secure government channels. We procure and upload medical evidence quickly and electronically, which can accelerate the overall pace of a claim through the various agencies assigned to decide it.
Behind all this technology and first class customer service, is a team of educated, experienced, professional attorneys who are ready to spot any opportunity to achieve approval of your claim, under the best circumstances possible, maximizing allowed benefits, and achieving a quick decision.
Learn more about us by browsing through our website, find offices near you, and contact us from the bottom of any page on our site, and/or take a simple test right here to see what kind of benefits you might qualify for.
Our legal assistants, paralegals, and client services staff are ready to take your call, or make you an appointment for a totally free initial consultation to determine if you have a legal basis for a claim. There is never a charge or fee for this. We are not a referral service. All of our employees are educated professionals, working under the supervision of duly licensed attorneys.
If you are close to one of our offices, we invite you to set up an appointment now to come in. If not, we can handle your case by telephone and/or video. The field of Disability Law is changing and we are happy to be in the forefront.
–Did you know that a Special Needs Trust might permit you to continue receiving benefits when a windfall might affect need based government help such as Supplemental Security Income?
–Did you know that private Short Term and Long Term Disability carriers must respond to your right to appeal their decisions?
–Did you know that Veterans can also appeal denial of benefits?
These are just some of the practice areas we cover.
You have the right to an attorney.. why not use it?
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