Harlan Harlan & Still

General information

How We Can Help You
Social Security law is very technical. Our lawyers and legal assistants deal with it every day, but most Americans are not at all familiar with the disability process.
We know that the initial application and the appeal process are confusing. The instructions are baffling and, at the same time, your every word is reviewed by Social Security employees. The goal of our entire staff is to insure a successful conclusion to your claim.

At the initial level our firm will:

• Organize your medical information and assist you in the paperwork necessary to file a claim for disability. Historically, a large majority of claims, many of them valid, are denied at the initial level.
• We will file your Request for Hearing and, with your help, determine what additional medical records should be obtained.
• Prior to the hearing your lawyer will meet with you to determine what else needs to be done to organize evidence before the hearing.
• We will prepare you for your testimony before the Social Security Administrative Law judge and we will prepare for our cross-examination of all witnesses called by Social Security.
• Should an appeal be necessary we will file the appeal with the Appeals Council in Falls Church, Virginia. If necessary we will file your suit against the Social Security Administration in the United States District Court.

*An important question for any attorney or non-attorney representative is, "Do you file cases in federal court?" Non-attorney representatives cannot represent claimants in court. Some lawyers in other firms refuse to litigate in the federal court and are very resistant to this important part of the appeal.

Practice areas:
- Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) -- Employee
- Social Security -- Disability
- State & Municipal Employees
- Workers' Compensation Appeals