If you already have this opinion about your potential representative, then he is not the right one for you.

Another point to think about is that the attorney could also put in hours and hours of work (and attorneys generally bill out at $200-$500 an hour) and get no money at all. At that point, the lawyer would file a fee petition and document every phone call (billing at 1/4 hour), the time it takes him or his staff to complete appeal forms, the time it takes him to read your medical records or prepare a pre-hearing brief, the time he spends in the prehearing discussion with you, etc. etc. If you are the kind of person who wants your lawyer to explain everything, every step of the way, all of those 15 minute phone calls could easily add up quickly

What action or inaction do you believe is under the control of the lawyer in terms of how quickly SSA makes a decision? I suppose agreeing to a date for the hearing is one issue, but a busy representative would have a pretty full calendar and the busy ODAR office doesn't have unlimited empty hearing dates.

But really, if you don't like this clause up front, you won't like it at the back end either so you should probably keep shopping for someone who won't want more money for more work.

I'm brand new at this, don't have a 'clue', overwhelmed, not sure which way to turn, shaking with anxiety, and coming here for support b/c this is a support forum. Though I do appreciate your taking the time to post a response, comments like these kinda feel like a slap in the face.

I do not have an 'opinion' about this particular representative, not sure how you came to that 'opinion'. As a matter of fact, I think this guy IS probably the right one for me. I simply asked if this type of clause is standard procedure with most lawyers.

Never said that I 'didn't like' this clause. Again, I was simply inquiring.

"Keep shopping for someone who won't want more money for more work" .

Not expecting pro bono work after a certain step of the process.

I do thank you for giving me an idea of how much more work an attorney might have to do in a case that drags on. Helps me to see a bit more clearly on what an attorney does behind the scene. Yes, if I were such an attorney, I suppose I'd want more compensation. Makes perfect sense. I suppose all the extra hours he would put into my case would indeed add up to doubling the initial contract amount.

Life is good have a great day

Rae