Why You Need A Florida Bar Licensed Attorney
Is your representative an attorney? This seems to be a silly question but often those who we meet with either do not know or mistakenly think their representative is an attorney when the representative actually is NOT! Also many individuals we see with Social Security claims may mistakenly have a representative not licensed in the State of Florida. Because the Social Security claim is a Federal/ “administrative claim” the law allows for less stringent guidelines than the State of Florida for example, for those to represent you in your legal proceedings up to the “Hearing” level. Unfortunately, the less stringent Federal/administrative standards often mislead claimant’s in regards to representative qualifications. The Social Security Protection Act of 2004 has attempted to partially regulate those non-attorney representatives however, implementation will be a long process and is less than remedial at best.
The Three Step common sense approach to choosing a representative is an easy checklist: (1) You should meet with the attorney who will be representing you! If you do not meet with the actual attorney and have not discussed the “strategy” of winning your claim then you may want to seek other counsel; (2) Review the representative’s qualifications, is he or she licensed in the State of Florida? How many Social Security cases has the representative personally handled?; (3) Does your representative have offices where you can see him/her when there are issues about the claim, such as for a pre-hearing interview and for the “legal brief” that should be submitted to the Judge prior to your hearing? Often claimants may not speak to and/or see their representative until the hearing which can cause serious ramifications in regard to the decision. Also, a legal brief should be submitted to the Judge prior to the hearing. Ask your representative if he/she will be submitting a “legal brief” to the Judge!
The Florida Bar exists to protect you from unethical, unqualified and improperly trained representation. It exists for your protection and can act as a mediator and yes, complaint department when attorney-client problems arise. Failing to have a Florida Bar Licensed Attorney will not allow you to utilize the “safety net” of the Florida Bar procedures for your protection.
If you are wondering whether your representative is a Florida Bar licensed attorney you can call us at 813-657-9175 or e-mail us from this site and/or go to www.FLABAR.org and look your representative up on that website.
Cases We Handle
Testimonials
5 stars??? If I could give 10, I would!!! Professional, knowledgeable, caring.... there’s not enough words to describe what an amazing experience I’ve had dealing with them. Highly recommend!!!
- Tanya
Attorney David Magann is a Marine Corps Veteran with a Criminology Degree from The University of South Florida and a Law Degree from The University of Miami. He will be your advocate working to get the benefits you deserve.
TESTIMONIALS
5 stars??? If I could give 10, I would!!! Professional, knowledgeable, caring.... there’s not enough words to describe what an amazing experience I’ve had dealing with them. Highly recommend!!!
- Tanya
David helped me with my S.S. disability. The office staff was always there to answer my questions and I was actually able to sit with David to go over my case. Most attorneys have you meet with their office staff and you never meet with them personally. David is very personal and a great person.
- Lisa
Mr. Magann is a veteran that cares about the well-being of all veterans. And will go the distance for all clients needing help with Social Security claims. I highly recommend if you are in need of an attorney for SSI Benefits.
- George
First off, let me start by saying the level of professionalism from this firm should be the industry standard. Every question I had, from start to finish, was answered in a timely manner, the whole process, from start to finish was transparent and laid out in front of me. David Magann deserves every accolade coming to him now, and in the future. David, my family thanks you from the bottom of our hearts.
- J
Great service. Has served me well. Easy to get ahold of a person when you call! Have some bilingual staff. I would recommend Mr Magann. Be well.
- Chris