Skip to main content

WHAT IS A CONTINGENCY FEE AGREEMENT

 There are two ways you can agree to pay an attorney or legal representative:

BY THE HOUR:  You agree to pay a certain amount per hour.

CONTINGENCY FEE:  You agree to pay only if a certain thing happens (usually you agree to pay if you win your case and recover money).

In the world of Social Security disability, the legal fees are controlled by the Social Security Administration.  If you sign a contingency fee agreement with your lawyer/representative, you agree to pay an attorney fee only if:

1. Your application or appeal is approved, AND

2.  You receive past due benefits or "back pay."

If these two things do not happen, you won't owe your attorney/representative any fee.

The Social Security Administration also imposes limits on how much the legal fee can be.  It may never exceed 25 percent of the past due benefit OR $9,200 (whichever is less).

EXAMPLES

  • You get $10,000 in past due benefits.  Your attorney's fee is $2,500.
  • You get $80,000 in past due benefits.  Your attorney's fee is $9,200 (the maximum allowed).

What happens if you win your case (meaning, you get monthly benefits) but there is no lump sum back pay?  In this case you pay no attorney fee.  Legal fees must come only out of past due benefits.

The contingency fee agreement was established to protect Social Security disability claimants from paying excessive legal fees or paying fees in cases where no past due benefit (back pay) was recovered.

 

WHAT DO YOU PAY UPFRONT TO GET A SOCIAL SECURITY LAWYER?

 Nothing.  Your representative handles your case with no upfront fee and will be paid only at the conclusion of your case IF you are awarded past due benefits or "back pay."

At the Forsythe Firm, we do not charge for the initial consultation.  So you may meet with us, ask questions, tell us about your claim or appeal--at absolutely no cost or obligation.  Also, there is no pressure on you.  You may meet with us completely at ease, knowing that we will never ask you for money.

___________________

The Forsythe Firm, 7027 Old Madison Pike NW, Suite 108, Huntsville, AL 35806.  Call (256) 799-0297. 


 

 


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IS IT HARD TO GET SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY IN TENNESSEE?

  How hard is it to get Social Security disability (SSDI) in Tennessee? It can be very difficult.  In the beginning stages of the process, it seems like the agency is out to deny as many claims as possible.  Later--in the appeals process--it takes more technical and legal skill to move through the labyrinth of obstacles. What's the usual reason for an SSDI denial? If you look at all the denial letters, the most comm on reason given is:  You are not disabled according to our rules. The 2 main explanation for finding claimants not disabled are: 1.  You are able to perform some of your past relevant work. 2.  You can't perform any of your past work but you are able to do other work. Those are the two "catch all" reasons Social Security gives for nearly all of their denials.  Both of these reasons fall into the category of a medical denial .  The claimant's condition is not deemed severe enough to prevent all work. There are other reasons for d...
Post a Comment
Read more

WHAT YOU WILL BE ASKED AT A DISABILITY HEARING

Most Social Security disability claims will be denied twice:  First at the end of the Application process, and again after the "Reconsideration" process.  The third stop will be a hearing before a federal Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). It is here at the hearing level that most SSDI claims are paid.  So, what do you need to know about your Social Security disability hearing?     First, the judge will follow the rules established by the Social Security Administration.  His or her job is to determine whether you meet the particular laws and rules to receive disability payments.  So, it is a legal proceeding where you must prove certain things in order to get paid. Among the things you must prove:  Your insured status with Social Security:  You have worked recently enough and paid into the Social Security trust fund to gain the required "work credits" to support your claim.  You have a severe medical or mental impairment supported by adequa...
Post a Comment
Read more

CAN YOU WIN YOUR DISABILITY APPEAL WITHOUT A LAWYER?

The Social Security Administration does not require you to have a lawyer to file an appeal or to appear at a hearing.  However, most people heading for a disability hearing will hire a lawyer or advocate to help them.   Studies have shown that you are about twice as likely to win with a lawyer.  A recent study found that claimants with no lawyer win about 30 percent of the time while claimants with a lawyer or advocate win 60 percent of the time.   " He just cooked his own goose." These statistics cover only one aspect of a disability appear--your odds of winning. The other important aspects are time and convenience. If you prepare and adjudicate your own disability appeal, expect to spend 12 to 24 months working on the case.  You will be collecting, reading and submitting hundreds or thousands of pages of medical records.  These records are complex and often difficult to understand.  And you must know how each medical record helps (or hurts) your dis...
Post a Comment
Read more