do i have to pay attorney who lost my ss case

by Prof. Justus Schroeder 5 min read

If there are no back-dated benefits awarded during your claims approval, your attorney will not be paid a fee. If there is no back pay, or if there are other extenuating circumstances, your lawyer or advocate can submit a fee petition to Social Security to request a higher fee to ensure he or she is paid for their work.

You usually don't have to pay anything up front to a disability lawyer. Instead any fee is paid out of the back benefits you receive. Usually, Social Security handles the payment of fees directly, withholding the money from your backpay award, and sending the remainder to you.

Full Answer

Do you have to pay for a SSDI lawyer?

Under current Social Security Disability regulations, a disability lawyer is generally only allowed to charge 25% of a claimant s back pay up to $6,000. In fact, prior to receiving payment, the SSA must approve the fee agreement, which allows the SSA to send a portion of your back pay directly to the lawyer before you are paid.

How much does social security hold back for attorney fees?

Here, too, there is a simple answer: I accept Social Security disability cases under a contingency fee contract. My fee contract provides that there is no fee unless we recover past due benefits for you. The fee for my representation is 25% of past due benefits with a cap of $6,000. Since many of the cases I win for clients involve past due ...

What do I do if I Lost my Social Security card?

Basic Fee Agreements. First, the basics: Federal law generally limits the fees charged by Social Security disability attorneys to 25% of your backpay, or $6,000, whichever is lower. Back payments are benefits that accrued while you were waiting for Social Security to approve your case. The amount of your backpay depends on your onset date of ...

Will my attorney get a check from Social Security?

If you have questions or need help understanding how to request your replacement Social Security card online, call our toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213 or visit your Social Security office. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, call our toll-free TTY number, 1-800-325-0778 , between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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What is back pay for SSDI?

Back payments are benefits that accrued while you were waiting for Social Security to approve your case. The amount of your backpay depends on your onset date of disability, when you filed for benefits, and whether you're applying for SSDI or SSI. (To learn more, see Nolo's article on how SSDI back benefits are calculated .)

What is a fee petition?

A fee petition must contain an itemized list of the attorney's activities on the case. Your attorney will send the fee petition to Social Security after your case is complete, and will send a copy to you as well. Social Security will approve the petition only if the fees requested by the attorney are reasonable.

Do I Have to Pay an Attorney Upfront?

Often, people fail to consult with an attorney because they are under the misconception that an attorney’s fees must be paid upfront before he or she is willing to take their case and represent them throughout their disability claims process. However, that is not accurate.

How Much Attorneys are Paid for Social Security Disability Claims

The laws are rather specific for how Social Security disability lawyers are paid for representing clients. The fee is limited to 25% of the past-due benefits that you are awarded. That payment is capped at $6,000.

How the Payment Process Works

When you retain an attorney or an advocate for your Social Security disability case, you will complete paperwork including documents that specify the attorney’s fees and how much you will pay your representative in the event he or she wins your claim for you. These documents include a contingency fee agreement.

What if There is No Back Pay?

What happens if you are approved for benefits and there is no back pay awarded? If there are no back-dated benefits awarded during your claims approval, your attorney will not be paid a fee.

Getting Started with an Advocate or an Attorney

There usually is no fee to hire a disability attorney upfront because the fee will be paid out of the disability award that you eventually receive.

Request a Replacement Social Security Number (SSN) Card Online

Getting a replacement Social Security number (SSN) card has never been easier. As long as you’re only requesting a replacement card, and no other changes, you can use our free online services from anywhere. All you need to do is log in to or create your personal my Social Security account.

Who is eligible to request a replacement Social Security card online?

Requesting a replacement card online is available in most states. We are continuously working to make this service available to additional states.

Still have questions?

If you have questions or need help understanding how to request your replacement Social Security card online, call our toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213 or visit your Social Security office. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, call our toll-free TTY number, 1-800-325-0778, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

How long does it take to get Social Security benefits?

Once this is done, the claimant can expect payment within 30-45 days. The attorney representative, on the other hand, waits longer to receive attorney’s fees which currently are 25% of back due...

How long does it take to get back my unemployment benefits?

Back due benefits, except for any fee due attorneys, goes directly to the client. This can be as short as 10 to 14 days; normal is 30 to 60 days. If there are other issues (like workers' compensation offset, or SSDI and SSI offset) then it can take longer than 60 days...

What is the relationship between a lawyer and a client?

In a lawyer-client relationship, acting responsibly involves duties on both sides—and often involves some hard work. You have a right to expect competent representation from your lawyer. However, every case has at least two sides. If you are unhappy with your lawyer, it is important to determine the reasons.

Can a lawyer represent two clients?

A lawyer must be loyal to his or her client. This means that a lawyer cannot represent two clients who are on opposite sides in the same or related lawsuits. And, ordinarily, there can be no representation of a client whose interests would conflict with the lawyer’s interests.

What happens if your lawyer doesn't communicate?

A lack of communication causes many problems. If your lawyer appears to have acted improperly, or did not do something that you think he or she should have done, talk with your lawyer about it. You may be satisfied once you understand the circumstances better. I have tried to discuss my complaints with my lawyer.

Can a lawyer write a will?

For example, a lawyer may not be involved in writing a will for a client who leaves the lawyer substantial money or property in that will. Keeping Clients’ Property. If a lawyer is holding a client’s money or property, it must be kept safely and separately from the lawyer’s own funds and belongings.

What is the job of a lawyer?

Communication. A lawyer must be able to communicate effectively with a client. When a client asks for an explanation, the lawyer must provide it within a reasonable time. A lawyer must inform a client about changes in a case caused by time and circumstances. Fees.

What to do if you have a complaint about a lawyer?

If you believe you have a valid complaint about how your lawyer has handled your case, inform the organization that governs law licenses in your state. Usually this is the disciplinary board of the highest court in your state. In some states, the state bar association is responsible for disciplining lawyers.

Phillip William Gunthert

Mr. Bodzin has provided you with an extremely informative answer.#N#If you feel that your attorney did a poor job you always have the option of appealing the case and I would strongly encourage you to speak with an appeals attorney that specializes in the area of law that your case dealt with specifically (criminal, civil, etc.).

Jay Bodzin

There are two different kinds of potential attorney misconduct: malpractice, and a breach of ethical rules. An attorney commits malpractice when they provide services that are below the standards of competency for the profession, and the client is harmed as a direct result of that substandard care.

Anthony Bettencourt Cameron

What kind of case? What did the lawyer fail to do? We are starting out at sub-basic information levels.

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Fee Agreements and Fee Petitions

What Should Be in A Fee Agreement?

  • An attorney must submit a written fee agreement to Social Security before Social Security issues a favorable decision on the claim. Most lawyers will submit the fee agreement when they take your case. Social Security has suggestions for the language in the fee agreements, but there are really only two main requirements. First, the amount of the fee...
See more on nolo.com

Who Pays For Legal Costs?

  • There are two kinds of expenses in a case: the amount the lawyer charges for her time and the expenses she pays for while working on your case. In a typical Social Security case, an attorney will pay copying fees and postage to get records to help prove that a claimant is disabled. Those records might be located at hospitals, doctors' offices, schools, or mental health facilities, amon…
See more on nolo.com

How Much Attorneys Are Paid For Social Security Disability Claims

  • The laws are rather specific for how Social Security disability lawyers are paid for representing clients. The fee is limited to 25% of the past-due benefits that you are awarded. That payment is capped at $6,000. So, as an example, if you are approved for disability benefits that are backdated for two years and your benefits for those two years come out to $48,000, one-fourth of that amo…
See more on disabilitybenefitscenter.org

How The Payment Process Works

  • When you retain an attorney or an advocatefor your Social Security disability case, you will complete paperwork including documents that specify the attorney’s fees and how much you will pay your representative in the event he or she wins your claim for you. These documents include a contingency fee agreement. The Social Security Administration (SS...
See more on disabilitybenefitscenter.org

What If There Is No Back Pay?

  • What happens if you are approved for benefits and there is no back payawarded? If there are no back-dated benefits awarded during your claims approval, your attorney will not be paid a fee. If there is no back pay, or if there are other extenuating circumstances, your lawyer or advocate can submit a fee petition to Social Security to request a higher fee to ensure he or she is paid for thei…
See more on disabilitybenefitscenter.org

Getting Started with An Advocate Or An Attorney

  • There usually is no fee to hire a disability attorney upfront because the fee will be paid out of the disability award that you eventually receive. Because of this, the attorney will only take cases that he or she believe meet the qualifications for disability benefits either by the medical guidelines or the by the medical-vocational allowance and using a residual functioning capacity worksheet. If …
See more on disabilitybenefitscenter.org