Cost of SSD Lawyer | Wells, Manning, Eitenmiller & Taylor

Oregonians Should Know You Only Pay a Disability Lawyer When You Win

Monthly checks from Social Security Disability benefits can save you from financial meltdown when you’re hit with bad health and have to stop working too soon.

Because applying for disability benefits is highly involved, and an overwhelming number of people get denied and must appeal, people often seek help from a Social Security Disability lawyer.

But paying for a lawyer sounds like a luxury. And now is not a time when you can afford luxuries.

Social Security and the attorneys who help with disability benefits recognize you’re under economic stress. So the Social Security Administration (SSA) regulates attorney fees, and they follow this fundamental rule: You pay no attorney fee until you win disability benefits.

How do Social Security Disability lawyers get paid? This is where their fee comes from:

The lump sum of back benefits you receive after you’re approved
Up to certain limits

What this means: Not only do you avoid paying a lawyer if you don’t win benefits—when you do win, you don’t have to write a check.

Social Security directly sends your lawyer their piece of your back pay. Your disability benefits going forward aren’t touched.

At Wells, Manning, Eitenmiller & Taylor we know you’re dealing with a difficult time in your life, and we want to get you the help you need to reach better times.

We’re here for our neighbors in Oregon, with offices in Eugene-Springfield, Albany, Roseburg, Coos Bay and Medford. Our disability lawyers have a combined 60 years of experience helping hard-working people.

Back Pay & Social Security Disability Lawyer Fees

You get back pay because of the time you wait on your Social Security Disability claim.

It typically takes months or even years to complete the process. When you finally win, Social Security will likely find that you officially qualified for benefits a while ago.

So to start your benefits, they’ll pay you a chunk of money accounting for that time. It can be thousands of dollars. This fund also pays for your disability lawyer.

This is the guideline for how much of your back pay an attorney can receive as their fee:

Up to 25 percent of your past-due benefits

You can see that your lawyer fee would change depending on how long you waited and how much you get in back pay.

Additional dollar limits can apply if 25 percent goes over certain amounts. Over time, with changes in the costs of living and doing business, Social Security adjusts those limits.

But you never have to come up with the money to hire a lawyer. Their pay always comes from your past-due benefits, however much they are. Never any more.

When lawyers only get paid if you win your case, it’s called a “contingency fee.”

It’s only fair you shouldn’t have to pay if you don’t get benefits. Because of this arrangement, working with an experienced disability attorney has little risk for you.

At Wells, Manning, Eitenmiller & Taylor, our disability law firm never charges more than 25 percent of your retroactive benefits. And it costs you nothing to have an initial conversation with us to learn more about getting disability benefits.

So Are Disability Lawyers Free? Not Exactly, But They Are Valuable

You know you don’t have to pay a free up front to get a disability lawyer, or at all if you don’t win disability benefits.

But why should you get a Social Security Disability attorney involved in your case?

The reasons are many:

To collect records and evidence for your claim, saving you work
To help you avoid common mistakes in your disability application
To keep you on top of deadlines
To keep you informed on your claim
To give you support as you go through an uncaring process
To analyze the REASONS YOU WERE DENIED and build your appeal
To represent you in your hearing with a disability judge
To increase your chances of winning benefits in the end

Government studies have found that people with representatives like disability lawyers win benefits after their hearings with judges more than people without representation.

They make you jump through a lot of hurdles to get benefits.

People in Oregon can get a Wells, Manning, Eitenmiller & Taylor disability lawyer to make the process easier and achieve a life of greater stability in the face of major health problems.

And there’s no lawyer fee until you win.

We’re with You Every Step of the Way

Whether you’re trying to determine if you’re qualified for disability benefits, you need help filing your application, or you received a denial notice and want another chance, our law firm helps from the beginning and stays by your side.

Have a Question about Disability Benefits?

Your health is bad. You can’t work. Your financial stability is threatened. So your head is swimming with questions. How will you get by? How does Social Security Disability work? We’ve gathered answers. See them here:

Disability FAQs »

Hear from a Wells, Manning, Eitenmiller & Taylor Client

“They work hard for people who struggle because of mental and physical abilities. Highly recommend . . . I got the call I was awarded benefits. . . . When he called me I was so happy I was crying. . . . Thank you so much for giving me hope when I lost it. Thank you for fighting so hard.”

How Much Does a Social Security Disability Lawyer Cost?