Picked a smaller local firm over a big name disability lawyer and it worked out

I was torn between going with one of those big disability law firms that advertise on TV or a smaller office here in Fresno that a friend recommended. Went with the local guy because he actually returned my calls the same day and seemed to know the SSA judges in our area. Has anyone else gone with a smaller firm and ended up glad they did?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_linda24d ago

Yeah that tracks with what I've noticed in a lot of areas actually. It's like the smaller places just have to try harder because they can't afford to screw up one person's case and have it spread around town. I mean the big firms are processing people like they're on an assembly line, so you're just a number to them. The local guy has to live with you at the grocery store afterwards, so he's going to actually listen and care. idk it's just one of those things where personal attention usually beats fancy ads in my experience.

the_anthony23d ago

That thing about knowing the judge is huge. I had a friend in Stockton who went with a small shop and the lawyer literally told him "Judge Smith hates it when you dress too nice, wear something casual and don't try too hard to sound smart." He won too. Small firms can tell you what that specific office is looking for because they're there all the time, while the big ones are just mailing in paperwork from some call center. Also watch out for the big firms that pass your file off to a paralegal after the first meeting, you might never talk to the actual lawyer again until the hearing.

ivan_mason24d ago

...so my buddy Dave went through the same thing last year, picked a small firm in Bakersfield over the big TV guys. He said the small firm actually remembered his name and called him back on weekends sometimes. The big difference for him was the lawyer knew which judge they were getting and prepped him for that judge's personal quirks, like what kind of evidence they liked. He won his case in about 10 months, which shocked him because he'd heard horror stories of people waiting years. Take this with a grain of salt, but he swears the local connection made all the difference.