Getting 100% VA Rating
Video Transcript
Hello, I’m Eric Gang. Today I want to talk to you about how to choose an attorney to represent you in your VA appeal.
The selection of an attorney is a very important undertaking because you’re going to be working with this person for a long time. You need to make sure this is somebody you’re comfortable working with. If you’ve got a lot of years into this appeal and have a lot of back pay at stake, choosing the right attorney is critical.
There are a couple of factors that you need to consider when making this selection:
1. Look for Extensive Court Experience
Number one, I would recommend you not retain an attorney unless he has litigated at least 200 appeals at the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. An attorney who has litigated that many appeals at the court is going to have the necessary experience and background to effectively represent you.
2. Choose a Firm That Exclusively Represents Veterans
Number two, I would highly recommend retaining a law firm that exclusively represents disabled veterans. I would not recommend a law firm that merely does VA disability benefits as one of many things that they offer.
Lately, there have been a lot of personal injury attorneys and other types of firms that have been adding veterans disability benefits as an item on their menu of services. These law firms typically have very limited experience in this area of practice, and they also have limited experience in litigating cases at the U.S. Court of Appeals.
How to Verify a Lawyer’s Experience
There’s an easy way to determine how many cases a lawyer has handled at the U.S. Court of Appeals. The U.S. Court of Appeals has a website: www.uscourts.cavc.gov. You can go there, type in the lawyer’s name, and you can see a list of all the cases he’s handled. It will give you page after page of the cases that the lawyer has handled so you can know whether or not the attorney you’re considering has litigated a sufficient number of cases at the court.
Need Representation?
Again, selecting an attorney is a very important process and it’s something you should not take lightly. If you’ve been denied, you’re on appeal, and you’d like to explore how our firm may be able to help you, then I, of course, invite you to contact our office.