The hearing (with your lawyer)…
Before the hearing, our law firm sends in the medical records and a written brief on your case, so the judge already knows about your medical conditions and our legal arguments about why your case should be granted.
In a typical hearing, you will be asked questions about your identifying information (age, birthdate, address, etc.), your work history over the last 15 years, your medical conditions and the limitations they cause you, your living situation, and your daily activities. These questions will likely be asked by the judge and by your attorney.
After you answer these questions, the judge will ask questions to a vocational expert. The vocational expert is present to give information about what kinds of jobs you may or may not be able to perform with your specific medical limitations. When the judge is done questioning the vocational expert, your attorney will be given an opportunity to cross-examine this expert. These matters can be extremely technical and specialized.
We therefore highly recommend using an attorney to both prepare you for giving testimony and to perform cross-examination of the vocational expert. Please note that not every hearing will follow the format described above.
If you’re interested in retaining our firm for your hearing, call us at (985) 626-1002 to go over your specific case and set up an appointment at our office in Mandeville, LA.