The legal profession has different areas of specialization that anyone who is interested in becoming a lawyer or attorney can venture into.
One of those areas of specialization is social security disability law. Lawyers who specialize in this type of law help people of a certain age, disability, or condition get the financial benefits they deserve.
Majoring in social security law helps you to build a disability law practice where you can help individuals suffering from any form of disability get their social security benefits without stress.
This article is the perfect guide you need if you’re interested in starting a social security disability law practice. Keep reading to know the various processes involved.
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11 Unique Steps to Start a Social Security Disability Law Practice
1. Go to law school
Apart from earning a degree in law, this is the first thing you need to do before you begin.
You must ensure that you attend law school and pass the bar exam to enable you to qualify as a social security attorney.
Related: What the Rehabilitation Benefit Covers in a Disability Income Policy
2. Intern at a law firm
One of the ways you can kick-start a great career as a disability lawyer is to intern or work with a reputable law firm by joining their social security section.
You can equally join the bar association in your locality to enable you to become a full-fledged legal practitioner.
3. Find a mentor
Having someone who is experienced in social security disability law as a mentor will give you a great advantage and a sense of direction when you begin to practice.
Learning from the wealth of experience of your mentor will prevent you from making avoidable mistakes. You will also have the opportunity to seek valuable advice from them when the need arises.
Endeavor to make time to follow your mentor to a court hearing and listen attentively during their consultation with their client(s). This will give you enough insight into how things should be done and how you can successfully operate as a social security disability lawyer.
4. Create a business plan
Prepare a business plan once you’ve garnered enough experience that can enable you to start practicing independently. Your business plan will enumerate your long-term and short-term goals, the various processes you’ll be adopting to handle your client’s appointment, and how you’ll prepare your documents.
A good business plan will serve as a blueprint that will guide you during the cause of your independent practice.
In the same vein, the way you decide to implement your business plan will go a long way in determining the success or failure of your business as a social security legal practitioner.
Hence, you must not take the creation of a business plan with levity.
5. Find the appropriate office space
This is a significant aspect that you must pay adequate attention to when you begin to start practicing as a social security lawyer.
Since you’ll be dealing more with clients with disabilities, you need to ensure that your office can be accessed by wheelchairs and other mobility devices.
If your office is located on the last floor of a story building, you must ensure that the building has a functional elevator that can be easily accessed by people with disabilities and their mobility aid.
Related: How to Become Power of Attorney for a Disabled Person
6. Get your license
Every professional needs a license to enable them to practice independently. Therefore, you must ensure that you get a license and other relevant documents from the concerned authorities in your locality.
Once you’re able to do this, you’ve already certified yourself as a reliable social security lawyer.
7. Furnish your office space
This is the next step to take. You want to make sure that your office is as comfortable and formal as possible.
Hence, you must arrange your office appropriately to provide a conducive environment where you and your clients can have enough room to interact.
Get the right furniture, computer, printer, legal-oriented software, file cabinets, and other equipment.
8. Start the branding
Once your office is set, the next step is to commence branding and advertise your business to the right people to enable you to get clients.
Have a registered business name, create an attractive logo, and begin to distribute your business card or flyer to people while making sure that people with disabilities are your major target.
Attend conferences and seminars focused on people with disabilities and ensure that you give out your business cards to the attendees while getting them aware that you are a social security disability lawyer.
Related: How to Successfully Report Someone Taking Advantage of a Disabled Person
9. Maintain an online presence
Technology has made things easier in today’s world; you can now effortlessly get clientele without meeting them physically.
This can be done when you create various social media handles for your business and produce content centered on social security law practice.
Create a website that has a domain name related to disability law. Doing this will help you to create leads and generate the right traffic to your website, which will earn you more clients in the long run.
10. Provide satisfactory legal services
Once you start getting clients, it’s crucial that you show your expertise by advocating for your clients in court and making sure that they get every social security benefit they are entitled to.
In addition, endeavor to be available for your clients by responding promptly to their calls, emails, and text messages within 24 hours.
Show your clients your level of professionalism by listening attentively to their case or complaint and ensuring that you explain in detail the processes involved to them.
11. Get feedbacks
After the completion of your client’s case, don’t hesitate to always reach out to them. Ask about their current health condition and how much they’ve been able to benefit from social security.
Be friendly and make them feel special. This is a great way to build a quality relationship with your clients.
You can also ask your clients to refer you to their friends, families, neighbors, or colleagues that might need the service of a social security disability lawyer.
This will go a long way in propelling your career to the peak, especially when it comes to disability law practice.
