Social Security Claims

Published on: October 13, 2021

Qué Esperar en una Consulta Gratuita con el abogado Chris Earley

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Casi todos los abogados en Boston que manejan casos de lesiones personales ofrecen a los clientes potenciales una consulta gratuita. Esto permite a una víctima de un accidente de lesiones personales para entrevistar a diferentes abogados sin incurrir en ningún costo de bolsillo. Por lo tanto, es una oportunidad para que la víctima del accidente obtenga una visión legal gratuita sobre si tiene o no una reclamación legítima que vale la pena perseguir.

Pero, ¿qué sucede exactamente durante una consulta gratuita con un abogado de lesiones personales de Boston?

Por lo general, en la oficina del abogado, usted se reunirá con el abogado, o un asistente para el abogado, o incluso un asistente legal para el abogado. La persona con la que se reúna comenzará a preguntarle algunos antecedentes específicos sobre usted.

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Published on: October 6, 2021

7 Insider Secrets Insurance Companies DON’T Want You to Know About

By Christopher Earley

Insurance companies like to play games with innocent injury victims. Don’t fall for their tricks and traps. Here are seven insider secrets insurance adjusters don’t want you to know about.

When Insurance companies tell you that their offer is final, they are not telling you the truth. Nearly every adjuster can get additional settlement authority from a supervisor to settle a case.
You do NOT have to sign anything. Never sign something an insurance adjuster sends to you without having it first reviewed by an attorney.

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Published on: July 9, 2012

How Personal Injury Lawyers Get Paid

By Christopher Earley

Most if not all Massachusetts personal injury, medical malpractice and products liability cases are taken on a contingency fee basis. What does this mean? I found the following informative and articulate post over at injuryboard.com authored by attorney Scott E. Smith. Here is the post:

Abraham Lincoln once said, "A lawyer's time and advice is his stock in trade." In essence, asking an attorney for his advice is no different than asking an accountant to set up a business plan or do your taxes, a doctor to examine you, render a diagnosis and prescribe treatment or hiring an electrician to fix the wiring of your home. Nonetheless, many people are under the impression that calling a lawyer and asking a question is free. Although most lawyers will gladly answer preliminary questions regarding a legal matter, when it is determined a lawyer is needed, a fee contract is required.

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Most lawyers charge by the hour, as do most professions. Depending upon the lawyer's qualifications, experience and expertise, the hourly rate will vary. However, there are situations attorneys will work for a client on a contingent basis or on a reduced hourly rate and negotiated lower percentage. A contingency fee allows a lawyer to charge a client a percentage of money recovered in behalf of the client in a given case. A contingent fee contract has been referred to as the "poor man's key to the courthouse" because many individuals who are in need or require the assistance of an attorney cannot afford an hourly rate.

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Published on: April 25, 2012

Someone Injured Me But I Can’t Afford To Hire An Attorney!

By Christopher Earley

Someone Injured Me But I Can’t Afford To Hire An Attorney!

Not to worry. One of the hallmarks of personal injury law is that the injury victim does not get billed an hourly rate. Rather, the legal fee is a percentage of the gross amount recovered for the client.

Nearly all Massachusetts personal injury lawyers – as well as personal injury lawyers in other states – take motor vehicle accident cases on a contingency fee basis. What that means is that your attorney will take 33 1/3% (or possibly more if your case goes into suit) of any settlement or judgment amount as his/her legal fee at the conclusion of the case. If your attorney advances any costs in prosecuting your claim, it is you that is ultimately responsible for any such costs. Massachusetts workers’ compensation cases are also handled by contingency basis, and the amounts are set by law.

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Published on: March 21, 2011

What To Expect at a Social Security Disability Hearing

By Christopher Earley

Texas lawyer Robert Kraft has on his Kraft Elder Law Blog a wonderfully informative article on what Social Security claimants can expect at the Hearing stage. Please check out Attorney Kraft's numerous other blogs as he is producing some great content on his blogs. Here is the article:

The administrative hearing is the third stage in a Social Security or SSI (Supplemental Security Income) appeal. After a denial at the reconsideration level a hearing is requested. It takes between 12 and 15 months to get a hearing date after the hearing request. Hearings are meant to be informal, fact-finding procedures.

The people present at the hearing are the claimant, attorney, judge and the reporter who is there simply to record the hearing and handle the file. Usually a vocational expert will be present in person or available by telephone. Sometimes a physician will be at the hearing. The job of these experts is to give opinions on the case, based on the record and the testimony. Lay witnesses, such as family members or former employers, may also appear and testify.

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