Be Careful What You Post Online - You Never Know Who May Read It -- Posted on Monday, December 22 2008
Although I most frequently post about Social Security Disability matters, I've observed a few things over this past year about which I wanted to comment and caution. This primarily applies to domestic actions, but I'm sure has other applications as well.

The social networking websites MySpace and FaceBook are great ways of "networking", i.e, making new friends and/or keeping in touch with old friends. That said, we need to be careful about what we post on such sites.

For example, I recently handled an action for Adoption (by a step-parent) and Termination of Parental Rights (of the birth father). Without going into too much detail, one of the ways we located the birth father, learned of his activities, etc., was through his and his new wife's postings on the internet, including MySpace pages.

Likewise, many of us post on boards or forums for a particular special interest. Like the social networking pages, these are great ways of communicating with people who may have similar hobbies or occupations.

Recently, I heard about a woman posting "OT" i.e., "off-topic" on such a board. This woman was writing regarding her marital troubles. While she may have intended to write to enlist advice or solicit emotional support from her fellow forum members, she strayed into accounts of her conversations with her lawyer, their strategy, etc. If she and her husband were already having marital difficulties, it's not out of the question that he might check out the boards which he knows she frequents and learn this information. Not a good idea.

I wish you a very safe, happy, and healthy holiday season.

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Recent Developments in our Social Security Disability Practice - Going Statewide! -- Posted on Friday, December 12 2008
It's been a while since I've posted. We've been quite busy with preparing cases for hearings, making On the Record Requests, submitting medical records, etc. to try to put our clients in the best position for approval of their claims.

We have two exciting developments in the Social Security Disability Practice. First, we're now equipped and approved to submit all documents to the Social Security Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) electronically, using SSA's ERE system. The advantage to us (and our clients) is that by using the new system, Social Security personnel do not have to handle the documents, thereby helping us get cases heard (and in most cases) approved more quickly.

Eventually, the ERE system is supposed to enable attorneys to have secure electronic (i.e., Internet) access to a client-claimant's Social Security Disability file. This feature is being tested on a limited basis in other areas of the country and is scheduled to be rolled out nationwide in 2009.

Currently, in order to view the contents of a case file, we must contact the Hearing Office and request a CD containing the file be sent to us. This requires the Hearing Office personnel to take the time to "burn" the CD and mail it to us. We look forward to having online access to further streamline the process.

Another benefit to using the ERE system is that this uniform, computer-based document submission system allows us to deal with any Social Security Hearing Office, anywhere in the country, just as easily as we do our closest one in Columbia.

As a result, our second development is that we are expanding the geographical scope of our disability practice to cover the entire state of South Carolina. Together with the technology advances described above, we have developed a system for handling disability cases over the past several years which makes this feasible.

Specifically, in many cases, we only have to meet with a client once or twice during the representation process. Most other contact can be handled via telephone, regular mail, fax, and e-mail. Moreover, for many claimants, we are able to develop the case and obtain approval without having the wait for a hearing. As a result, we do not aniticipate the expanded geographic area presenting any major challenges.

We look forward to representing disability clients statewide with that same high level of professionalism as we are known for in the Midlands and Upstate.

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The Importance of Journals and Calendars to Social Security Disability Claims -- Posted on Wednesday, September 3 2008
Many Social Security Disability claimants have conditions like seizures, chronic headaches, fibromyalgia, arthritis, etc. where they may have chronic, recurrent problems so frequently that seeking medical treatment every time there are symptoms is impractical and/or cost prohibitive. For many such claimants, the best theory for approval of the disability application is that the claimant has such frequent problems, that maintaining fulltime employment is not feasible.

In order to better document the impact such conditions have on the claimant’s ability to work, it is very useful if the claimant has kept a contemporaneous or “real time” journal or other record of when the problems occur. For example, a “Headache Journal” which documents when a chronic migraine sufferer has a headache, how long it lasts, the medications required to break the headache, etc. can be a source of credible information regarding the condition. The same is true for the other conditions listed above, as well.

Since many disability claims take years to be approved, these records of the how, when and where of the effects of a health problem on the daily life of an individual can be invaluable for establishing the history. Otherwise, it can prove very difficult to remember details after a period of time has passed.

Likewise, claimants should keep a calendar or other accurate listing of all medical treatment received, including date, provider, and condition for which treatment was sought. As with details about the conditions themselves, the particulars of medical treatment, especially when there are a number of different doctors or hospitals, can fade with time. A claimant can make the attorney’s job much easier by keeping good records.

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Graduation Speech -- Posted on Friday, August 22 2008
I was doing a little computer maintenance and clean-up the other day, and came across the text of a speech I gave in 2004. The speech was the commencement address at Mid-Carolina High School, from which I had graduated 20 years earlier.

***

Thank you, Dr. Cary.

20 years ago, I sat where you graduates sit tonight. My hair is now whiter, and I’m not quite as skinny as I used to be.

20 years ago, I was absolutely certain I knew it all. I’m sure Susan Harrison, Helen Griffin, Jackie Harris and a few of the other teachers with seniority will gladly attest to this.

I now humbly confess I did not know it all then, and I definitely do not know it all now. But, I have learned a little bit over the years, and I would like to pass along a few of those things to you.

Tonight, I would like to present,

The Top Five Things I Have Learned Over the Past Twenty Years.

Some of these are personal, some philosophical, and some just plain common sense, although I have learned in my years of practicing law that common sense is not as common as you might expect.

1. Remember what’s important. At this stage in your lives, education is important. Soon, work will be as well. While we all want to work hard, both for the personal satisfaction of it, as well as for providing for ourselves and our families, don’t get so caught up in the rat-race that you neglect yourself or your family. If there’s a passion you have, such as a sport or activity you enjoy, try to keep that as part of your life. Having a diversion can help you through the more stressful times in life.

For me, that passion is music, and more specifically, singing. Begging your indulgence for just a moment, I would like to take this opportunity to relate a story about another Mid-Carolina faculty member with seniority, your beloved Chorus Teacher, Ms. Lynn Grimsley.

Back when I was a student at Mid-Carolina, Ms. Grimsley was a relatively new teacher, not much older than her students, who spent her days trying to coax music from a bunch of kids who all too frequently possessed more enthusiasm than raw talent. Despite an already full class load, Ms. Grimsley went the extra mile, helping this kid who was in Band and so couldn’t take Chorus, working with me at lunch, during her planning period, and after school, so that I could audition for and make All-State Chorus.

I relate this story not for what Ms. Grimsley’s extra attention meant to me then, but for what her extra attention meant to me long term. As a result of Ms. Grimsley’s instruction and efforts, I have been able to continue my passion for music, singing with various groups over the years in locales ranging from the Newberry Opera House to the White House, and from my own church to the great cathedrals of Europe. These are opportunities which I would have never been presented, were it not for Ms. Grimsley.

Ms. Grimsley is a shining example of why Mid-Carolina is such a great school, and I would like to thank her for all she has done for this school and the countless thousands of students she has touched over the years.

Thank you for allowing me that brief indulgence. And now continuing on with my top five list...

2. Don’t neglect or abuse your body. As part of my law practice, I handle Social Security disability cases, and see too many folks in the prime of life who are ill as a result of poor choices they have made regarding smoking, diet, exercise, alcohol or drugs, or even just proper healthcare. You’ve only got one body, and trust me, you’ll be knocking at the door of middle age before you know it.

3. Don’t rush to get married and start a family. As an attorney who handles divorces, I see far too many couples who got married too young. How can you expect to know what qualities you are looking for in a husband or wife if you don’t yet who you are as a person? You have the rest of your lives to be married.

4. Pay close attention to your finances. It is far too easy to get in debt way over your head, and can take years to repair the damage, if ever. It is rare I see a husband and wife with marital problems, who don’t have money problems, as well. Also under this heading, I pass along two bits of lawyerly advice: (1) Never co-sign on a loan for somebody unless you are willing and able to pay the loan back yourself; and (2) Think long and hard before you lend money to someone, especially a friend or family member.

5. It’s okay to want to leave Newberry County and see what else is out there. Some of you may decide you want to lead your lives elsewhere. But it’s also okay to decide you want to stay, or having left, that you want to return to live your life here. Newberry County is a great place to work, live, and raise a family. We have a top-notch school system to educate our children, the Newberry Opera House drawing wonderful arts and entertainment to our community, beautiful Lake Murray for sports and recreation, easy access to Columbia for our many residents who commute, and great people in general. Again, the Newberry County way of life may not be to everyone’s liking, and that’s okay. But for me, it works, and I’m proud to have graduated from Mid-Carolina High School and to call Newberry County home. Thank you.

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Article from the Oregonian -- Posted on Sunday, August 3 2008
I came across this article from "The Oregonian" newspaper about the terrible effects of the Social Security Disability backlog and wait times.

Sunday, Aug. 3, 2008

Getting disability payments can be a fight to the death.

Portland’s Social Security office has some of the nation’s longest delays for benefits, and in the years-long waits some die before seeing a dime.

Americans seeking Social Security’s disability benefits find themselves stuck in a morass of bureacracy that often takes years to navigate. Social Security officials say they’re working hard to remedy the backlog. But they acknowledge it’ll be years before they bring it under control. Meanwhile, claimants suffer and sometimes die waiting for a disability check.

By Brent Walth and Bryan Denson
The Oregonian

Patricia Heimerl landed her first job in high school, bought a house at 22, and worked the last eight years of a long office career at Intel. She paid her bills, built a retirement account and, like most Americans, watched as Social Security took its cut from every paycheck.

Part of those deductions went to an insurance fund that pays benefits to people who become too sick or injured to work. Heimerl couldn't imagine that would ever mean her.

Then it did.

Doctors diagnosed her with fibromyalgia, which causes chronic muscle pain. Heimerl couldn't hold a job.

In January, the Social Security Administration decided that the 55-year-old McMinnville resident was disabled and approved her for benefits.

Here's what it cost her: six years.

Six years fighting Social Security's delays. Six years dealing with lawyers and paperwork. Six years burning through savings and selling her house to survive.

"It's something we've all paid into. So it should be there, if you are in need of it," she says. Instead, "the system you have to work with is a nightmare."

Fifty-two years ago this week, President Eisenhower signed a law creating the Social Security Disability Insurance program, which was intended to help people survive after infirmities drive them from the work force. But that well-intentioned plan has become a national quagmire for people like Heimerl, who suffer needlessly during interminable waits for a check.

More than 762,000 Americans sit in an unprecedented backlog of disability claims. Delays have hit all-time highs -- the result of shoestring budgets, bureaucratic incompetence and poorly executed reforms.

The crest of baby boomers has reached prime age for disabilities and now slams Social Security offices. About 2.5 million Americans a year file disability claims, including many with little or no work history seeking Supplemental Security Income. Social Security must examine each one to ensure only the deserving get benefits.

One step of the process alone -- getting an appeals ruling after a claim is denied -- now takes an average of 512 days across the nation. The waiting times, which declined in the 1990s, have nearly doubled in this decade.

As the agency's top official, Commissioner Michael J. Astrue, told The Oregonian, "It's been going seriously in the wrong direction."

In Portland, where the local Social Security hearings office posts some of the nation's longest delays, the average appeal drags on 669 days.

Meanwhile, people like Heimerl are left in ruins. Many die waiting.

"They want to make it as complicated as possible so that we give up or die trying," says Linda Fullerton, a 52-year-old disability activist from Rochester, N.Y., whose Web page collects what she calls horror stories from the Social Security backlog.

Social Security officials, who decline to discuss individual cases, say they work at a furious pace to reduce the waiting times and will lessen the backlog. Astrue acknowledges it will take years to bring the system under control. Meanwhile, reforms have stumbled because Congress hasn't spent enough money to curb the delays.

"It's not what most people foresee for themselves," says Sylvester J. Schieber, chairman of the Social Security Advisory Board, an oversight agency.

"You're caught in a time warp, still in the middle of an appeal, tearing your hair out, your conditions worsening and you're staring death in the face. This is the epitome of helplessness."

If you think this will never happen to you, you're not alone.

No one in this story thought it would happen to them, either.

A slide into poverty

In 1991, Robert Harris was fit enough to dive into a chilly and surging Fanno Creek to rescue a stranger who had driven his car into the water. Emergency officials said Harris saved the man's life.

Harris now looks like a question mark when he walks. Social Security acknowledges his degenerative disc disease has impaired him, but officials say Harris, 48, can still do some work and is not eligible to collect benefits.

His case has followed every twist in the system for six years -- through layers of appeals -- and now is in federal court. He may never see a dime.

About 65 percent of people who first apply for Social Security disability are turned down, and most of those who ask to have their cases reconsidered are denied again.

Along the way, 1.1 million claimants give up each year. The majority who fight on -- about 500,000 -- eventually win their claims.

But to do so, they have to request an appeals hearing before one of Social Security's administrative law judges, who have the power to award benefits. This sends applicants into a complicated, often crushing world of lawyers and medical experts.

And it's here that the long waits really begin.

Those who enter the appeals process often bring claims for pain, mental health problems or injuries that aren't easily diagnosed or proved. But those complexities don't explain all the delays -- most files sit in the backlog just waiting to be reviewed.

Harris spent his life savings of $3,000 and lived in his van at an Interstate 5 rest area for more than two years. He married in 2006 and now lives in a Salem trailer park. Harris and his wife, also unemployed, survive in part on the goodwill of friends and family, as they await word from Social Security.

"I'll never be able to work again, no matter what they decide," says Harris, a former window glazier. "I want to work. And I've been made to feel like a cheat and a beggar."

When people take their claims to U.S. District Court, as Harris has, federal judges about half the time send the cases back to Social Security for further review or order that benefits be paid.

That's what happened to Laurie Wells. Her case went to a federal judge -- twice -- before Social Security in June ruled she had been too disabled to work since July 2001. She struggled through the system nearly seven years.

"They just kind of stand there and watch you suffer," she says. "They treat you like a criminal."

Wells traveled the world during a 14-year career in the U.S. Air Force and Oregon Army National Guard. Tall, lean and energetic, she climbed to the rank of sergeant, earned a small-arms expert rifle ribbon, and served at bases in the U.S., Korea and the United Kingdom.

Over the last 15 years, doctors have diagnosed her with scoliosis, degenerative disc disease, fibromyalgia, depression, migraines, reactive airway disease, asthma, osteoarthritis, affective disorder, anxiety disorder and hypothyroidism.

"Pain," Wells says, "shows up in my dreams."

A 51-year-old single mom who lives in the Portland suburbs, Wells will get back benefits and a monthly check as long as she's disabled. It's not clear how much she'll draw. What is clear to Wells is that some of her back benefits will vanish before she sees a penny.

She knows Social Security won't pay the first five months of disability benefits -- a time known as a "waiting period." Wells also knows she'll have to pay back a portion of her state welfare money. And she knows her lawyer will get 25 percent of her back benefits -- a ceiling established by federal law. Lawyers can also charge for expenses, which in her case will be about $1,000.

"Hopefully, I'll have something left over," she says.

The delays drove her into poverty. Wells says she gets a monthly welfare check of $511 and food stamps worth $235. She pays $59 a month for a two-bedroom unit in a subsidized apartment, within walking distance of the clinic that treats her.

Wells says she hasn't been able to explain to her 13-year-old son how she proudly served her country for 14 years and now can't afford to drive a car. She said she tells him, "When I finally get my money, we can live like normal people."

"I don't think he understands why it's such a struggle."

Work works against you

More than 7 million Americans now collect benefits from Social Security's disability insurance program, drawing an average monthly check of $1,004, according to a recent sampling by the agency.

To qualify for benefits, you must prove your medical problems prevent you from any "substantial gainful activity" (defined as an average income of $940 a month) and must show your disability has or will keep you out of work for 12 months or more.

"People expect that after they have worked all their lives and paid into the system, their disability benefits will be there when they apply," says Linda Ziskin, a Lake Oswego attorney who handles disability appeals in federal court. "Instead they find that they may be expected to go back to a job they held 15 years ago or take a job that they have never done before."

Everyone interviewed for this story said they sought disability payments reluctantly and would prefer to work.

In many cases, people seeking benefits want to work. But when they try, it can work against them.

Randal Darby's customers loved him. At his Portland coffee shop, Hollywood Espresso, he welcomed people who never felt at home at Starbucks, high school kids shunned by peers, and others just looking for a haven. "Hollywood Espresso," went his motto, "Where You're the Star."

Darby had been forced to give up on his first love, teaching, because of his Type 1 diabetes, which became disabling when he grew disoriented. He told others he thought his condition cost him jobs working with children.

To keep working, he opened his shop in 1993 and built a loyal clientele. As his diabetes grew worse, his hands and feet often went numb. He dropped cups and dishes and couldn't feel when hot surfaces burned his skin. Customers sometimes found him in a near-coma.

In 2002, Darby filed for disability benefits. He sold his coffee shop toward the end of 2003. But the next year, a Social Security judge said Darby's business proved he had "substantial gainful activity." In reality, Darby saw a profit of only $1,150 in 2003.

The coffee shop had been Darby's only lifeline to the world, says Mark Falby, his companion of 25 years. "He would say, 'They want people to give up. They want you so downtrodden you can't do anything.'"

Darby died April 28, 2006, of complications from his diabetes. He was 48.

Social Security last year granted his disability claims, acknowledging he had been unable to work for the last two years and 10 months of his life.

"He was dead," Falby says. "His disability killed him. They couldn't refute it that last time."

The benefits went to Darby's mother, Esther, who waited and waited for the money. She went to the local Social Security office from time to time to ask about the delay. And she recalls asking them, "Are you waiting for me to die, too, so you don't have to pay the rest of it?"

She says a final benefits check for $5,817 arrived in her bank account last month.

"An unjust system"

Darby kept working through his disability because he could. Salvador Santa Cruz worked because had no choice.

Santa Cruz worked up to 12 hours a day, taking only Sunday afternoons off with his family. The $8.25 an hour he earned at Cascade Dairy in Parkdale barely supported him, his wife -- childhood love Eufrasia -- and their four children.

Eufrasia Santa Cruz says her husband felt lucky to work. He had moved from Mexico, gained U.S. citizenship in 1998, and honored the opportunity the United States gave him. "He saw work as important," his wife says.

Despite his hard work, Santa Cruz usually could rally at day's end to play with his kids. One day in June 2004, he complained of exhaustion -- what his wife called "a different kind of tired."

He soon had coughing fits that didn't stop. Doctors eventually found he suffered from a rare and aggressive form of lung fibrosis. His physician said Santa Cruz could no longer work, even though he tried to until May 2005.

He filed for disability two months later, and Social Security rejected his claim. Fourteen years earlier, Santa Cruz had worked building pipelines. The agency told him he was healthy enough to do it again.

"As you retain the ability to perform the type of work you have previously done," one denial letter said, "your claim cannot be allowed."

Eufrasia Santa Cruz says her usually gentle husband wanted to rip the denial letters to shreds.

"He would say they took the money for Social Security out of his paycheck without a word, but when he needed it, there is no help," she says. "They make you fight for it."

The family survived on welfare and food stamps, often using one credit card to pay the bill of another. Friends and family helped, and his employers generously allowed the family to keep living in a house owned by the dairy.

In February, 2 1/2 years after his claim had been denied, a Social Security judge concluded Santa Cruz was indeed too sick to work. The judge ordered the agency to pay him benefits that came to $8,358 after attorney fees.

By then, Salvador Santa Cruz was dead -- killed by respiratory failure on March 3, 2006, at 35. The money went to his family.

"We don't understand it at all," Eufrasia Santa Cruz says, her children sitting quietly on the sofa. "It's an unjust system."

Delayed to death

Problems with muscles, joints and bones are among the top diagnoses of people who receive benefits. But the No. 1 reason is mental health problems. More than a quarter of all beneficiaries suffer mental disorders, according to Social Security.

Many people say they didn't have mental health problems -- until they started fighting Social Security. Several interviewed by The Oregonian spoke of feeling so desperate they wanted to die.

Sharyn Hames worked as a temp and administrative assistant in Idaho, but many people knew her best as a spirited cocktail waitress, working shifts on the side to make ends meet. She had to give up all of her work when pain from fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis overwhelmed her, and she filed for disability in November 2003.

Social Security rejected her application, and she waited two years and one month for a hearing. After she and her husband moved to Oregon, an agency judge rejected her claim, saying her fibromyalgia didn't stop her from working six hours in an eight-hour workday.

"Even if she could," says her husband, Rodney Hames, "she never knew day to day if she would be well enough to work. They didn't take that into account." Unable to keep a regular schedule, Hames couldn't find steady work.

She had a history of depression and anxiety, and her despondency grew as her list of medications hit 16. Rodney Hames' job provided good health benefits, but his wife's prescriptions and doctors' visits still averaged $600 a month -- about what she expected to draw in benefits, her husband says.

"She loved to work and loved being independent," says her sister, Stephanie Silva. "She would sometimes say she wished she were dead so she wouldn't have to deal with all the bull any longer." Other times, Sharyn would tell her husband someone should take her out to the back pasture and shoot her -- but then would assure him she was just joking.

On Thursday, July 5, 2007, she returned to their Newberg home after treatment for arthritis at Oregon Health & Science University, depressed because doctors had given her a poor prognosis.

"She constantly worried she was a burden on me," Rodney Hames says. "I told her not to worry, that I loved her and just wanted her to get better."

The next day, Rodney Hames kissed his wife goodbye and went to work. Sharyn took a 9mm Ruger from the nightstand, put the handgun to her head and pulled the trigger.

Her death was ruled a suicide. Sharyn, 43, didn't leave a note.

Sharyn's claim had languished nearly four years. Her attorney sent Sharyn's death certificate to Social Security. Less than five weeks later, the agency approved her claim -- but only if her widower would cut a deal and give up a year's worth of her benefits.

Rodney Hames thought it was an insult to his wife, but he finally agreed. He says he received $10,500, after paying attorney fees.

"I was just so lost, feeling so much guilt," he says. "I couldn't fight them anymore."

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IRS Business Mileage Rate Increases as of July 1, 2008 -- Posted on Monday, June 30 2008
For those of you who drive a good bit for business purposes, the following should be of interest:

IR-2008-82, June 23, 2008


WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced an increase in the optional standard mileage rates for the final six months of 2008. Taxpayers may use the optional standard rates to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes.

The rate will increase to 58.5 cents a mile for all business miles driven from July 1, 2008, through Dec. 31, 2008. This is an increase of eight (8) cents from the 50.5 cent rate in effect for the first six months of 2008, as set forth in Rev. Proc. 2007-70.

In recognition of recent gasoline price increases, the IRS made this special adjustment for the final months of 2008. The IRS normally updates the mileage rates once a year in the fall for the next calendar year.

"Rising gas prices are having a major impact on individual Americans. Given the increase in prices, the IRS is adjusting the standard mileage rates to better reflect the real cost of operating an automobile," said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. "We want the reimbursement rate to be fair to taxpayers."

While gasoline is a significant factor in the mileage figure, other items enter into the calculation of mileage rates, such as depreciation and insurance and other fixed and variable costs.

The optional business standard mileage rate is used to compute the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business use in lieu of tracking actual costs. This rate is also used as a benchmark by the federal government and many businesses to reimburse their employees for mileage.

The new six-month rate for computing deductible medical or moving expenses will also increase by eight (8) cents to 27 cents a mile, up from 19 cents for the first six months of 2008. The rate for providing services for charitable organizations is set by statute, not the IRS, and remains at 14 cents a mile.

The new rates are contained in Announcement 2008-63 on the optional standard mileage rates.

Taxpayers always have the option of calculating the actual costs of using their vehicle rather than using the standard mileage rates.

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Tips for Choosing a Social Security Disability Attorney -- Posted on Wednesday, June 25 2008
Someone with a Social Security Disability (SSDIB) or Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) Claim will likely not have a problem finding an attorney willing to assist with his or her claim. There are many attorneys who do this type work.

The key is finding the right attorney for the case. This can sometimes be easier said than done. Obviously, the goal is approval of the claim, but in order to find the best attorney to handle the case, the claimant may want to ask a few questions.

At first blush, claimants may want to know what the attorney's "winning percentage" or ratio is; however, the concept of a "winning percentage" can be misleading, since many attorneys do not take weak cases to a hearing. (I plan to discuss in a later posting my approach to evaluating, accepting and keeping Social Security Disability cases.)

Instead, I think some of the questions which should be asked are:

1. How many years' experience does the attorney have handling Social Security Disability and SSI cases?

2. What approach does the attorney take to the preparation and presentation of Social Security Disability cases? For example, at what point does the attorney obtain a copy of the file?

3. What does the attorney do to stay abreast of the latest developments in this field? For example, to what organizations does the attorney belong relating to this area of practice?

These type questions should give a better indication of whether the attorney is the right person for the job.

Sam Jefcoat

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Welcome to My Blog -- Posted on Tuesday, June 24 2008
I’m adding a news and blog page to my website. I will periodically post information relevant to my practice or practice areas here.

Thanks for visiting.

Sam Jefcoat

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