Comments Regarding the June 2011 Blog

The purpose, in part, of the Blog are the “Buyer Beware” observations on attorneys and non-attorneys alike. It appears many non-attorneys have little to no regulation for their advertisements and they can place unsupportable statements like “most successful”, “experts” and “most experienced” on their websites. For example, when considering Quikaid, Allsup, Binder & Binder and the list goes on, they all can’t be at the same time the “most successful” and the “most experienced”.

Also many claimants we are contacted by think an “advocate” is an attorney. Very few non-attorneys actually state “non-attorney” on their advertisements and the common threads are the words like “advocate” and “expert”. Full disclosure as a “non-attorney” is clearly lacking.

Pompous or not the truth and facts sometimes hurt. If a claimant has a well informed choice of a non-attorney representative versus an attorney representative the fear of those not fully disclosing non-attorney status is that “most” would choose an actual licensed attorney.

Comments Regarding the June 2011 Blog:

Bill Wright (bill.wrightquikaid.com)
Tuesday, August 23, 2011, 08:15 AM < 24.129.154.46 >
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Mr. Magann,

Please remove your negative posting regarding Quikaid from your website blog immediately. You know nothing about our company. We are not “posers”. We are 100% committed to Social Security disability representation and pride ourselves on our hard work we do every day to help people obtain their much needed benefits. Our corporate office is in downtown Saint Petersburg, FL. We are here every day from 7am – 7pm. I invite you to visit with us and understand how a real Social Security disability company functions. I assure you, you will be impressed and would learn a lot.

Bill Wright, President
Quikaid, Inc.
800-434-4364

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LSR
Monday, August 22, 2011, 09:21 PM < 74.70.210.129 >
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There are attorneys and non-attorneys alike who do their clients a disservice. I have seen negligence in listening to claimants, developing evidence, delaying submission of evidence until a lower level denial, dropping claimants as clients who may have a difficult claim to prove to keep “win” rates up, etc. from both those that do or don’t have a JD.

Instead of maligning the majority of representatives that do excellent work in the same broad strokes with firms that might not offer quality advocacy, may I suggest you do readers a greater service by offering advice on how to weed out inadequate individuals be they attorneys or not? Your blanket hire “an actual attorney” advice offers no way for someone in need to determine if they’re obtaining quality representation.

I have met with literally hundreds of non-attorneys who write quality legal briefs; research the Rulings; case law, etc; look at every angle to provide the best possible representation. These representatives adhere to the highest ethical standards and make it clear to their clients that they are not attorneys, however they do provide quality representation.

Congress authorized a 5 year demonstration project allowing only non-attorneys who met rigorous standards to be eligible for direct pay. After those 5 years and a GAO study of the performance of those participating Congress saw fit to pass into law EDPNA’s.

I maintain we can all do our best for those we serve by learning from each other, as opposed to groundless prejudicial generalizations.

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nonattorney
Monday, August 22, 2011, 06:49 PM < 69.132.42.215 >
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Dear Mr. Magann,

Your statements show just how much of a professional you really are. While I understand your frustration of having national firms representing claimants, I can assure you that this is not the average. Just as being a pompous ass isn’t synonymous with being an attorney.

The fact is that those representatives that have taken the test for fee withholding do, in fact, better than Attorneys on average. We have higher success rates, and have actually proven our knowledge of the law- unlike most Attorneys who do more harm than good when they “dabble” because they “know administrative law.”

You are being misleading in your post. Being professional is supposed to be a hallmark of anyone who passes the bar. Why the attacks on EDPNA’s, and not on the companies themselves?

I hope that your clients don’t feed off of your anger, and that you win those clients cases who deserve it.

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Comments on the May 2010 Article: Those Representatives to Avoid
Tuesday, August 23, 2011, 03:15 PM – Social Security Law
Below we have posted the comments regarding the May 2010 Blog on those representatives to avoid, specifically non-attorney representatives. If there is a problem with the actual facts then a change to blog is applicable. If a law firm is sending non-attorney representatives then the blog is simply informing those who may not be aware of this fact since we have never seen anyone ever advertise that, by the way, we are going to send a “non-attorney” to your hearing. If we are wrong please send us the advertisement. Telling the public to avoid non-attorney representatives is neither libelous or otherwise.

Some did not like the term “poser” so we did remove that term. To clarify “education” we mean an actual law degree from an accredited law school and for “license” we mean you passed the Florida Bar and have an actual Bar number. If you are not sure if a representative has a Bar # you can look it up on the Florida Bar website.

Comments Below: May 2010 Blog

Jared M. Dickerson (JDickersonforthepeople.com)
Tuesday, August 23, 2011, 12:26 PM < 72.37.171.60 >
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We do terrific work at Morgan and Morgan.

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Connie White (connienc-disability-advocate.com)
Monday, August 22, 2011, 07:24 PM < 70.145.228.125 >
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“Uneducated”? I have been a non-attorney rep for almost 7 years now and have been able to help hundreds obtain their benefits. I have a unique set of skills from my years of education and experience and as a result, have a very high success rate.

Most non-attorney reps I know are dedicated professionals who go the extra mile for their clients. Many are over-achievers who are simply determined to do a good job. Your message implies that ALL non-attorney reps are “posers”. I beg to differ.

Constance M. White, MS, CRC, CVE, CCM
Accredited Disability Representative
Certified Rehabilitation Counselor
Certified Vocational Evaluation Specialist
Certified Case Manager

Aside from that, I passed a very difficult exam required of me by the SSA to allow me to obtain direct-pay status. So same as you, I am paid directly once I help a client obtain their benefits. I had to prove that my skills were sufficient to practice as a non-attorney rep. Did you?

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Diana Wade (dianapwadeatt.net)
Monday, August 22, 2011, 06:47 PM < 99.30.57.31 >
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This looks like libel to me.

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