Are you confident with your knowledge of social security regulations? Are you confident in your ability to handle every challenge and legal risk before and during the hearing process? Order today and acquire better pre-trial hearing planning and preparation, improved performance at administrative law judge hearings and increased ability to tackle special issues with greater skill and confidence.

1. Social Security Disability: Get the Basics Down
2. Prepare and Analyze Information Before the Hearing
3. Succeed at the Administrative Law Judge Hearing
4. Resolve Ethical Issues in Your Practice
5. Handle Special Issues As They Arise

1. SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY: GET THE BASICS DOWN
   9:00 - 10:30, Mark T. Hedberg
   1. Untangle Recent Changes to the Social Security Disability Program
   2. Examine Significant Rulings That Threaten Your Success
   3. Determine the Different Types of Disability Cases
   4. Grasp Important Definitions of Abbreviations and Acronyms
   5. Sort Through Medical and Vocational Issues (including use of the “GRID”)
   6. Identify Remedies Available Under ERISA
   7. Tap Into All the Resources Available to You
2. PREPARE AND ANALYZE INFORMATION BEFORE THE HEARING
   10:45 - 12:00, Paul A. Silich
   1. How to Decide Whether to Accept or Decline Representation of the Client
   2. Medical and Other Essential Evidence You Must Gather
   3. Obtain Necessary Reports and Interrogatories
   4. Analyze Social Security File Documentation
   5. How to File a Claim
   6. Prepare Clients to Effectively Testify
   7. Tips for Establishing the Claim
   8. Avoid Mistakes with Ready-to-Use Forms and Letters
3. SUCCEED AT THE ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE HEARING
   1:00 - 2:30, Mary K. Hoefer
   1. Great Advice for Working With the Local Hearing Office
   2. A Practical Hearing Checklist You'll Use Over and Over
   3. How to Handle Expert Witnesses – Yours and Your Opponents
   4. Follow the Rules for Submitting Evidence to the Letter
   5. Documenting and Presenting Medical and Vocational Evidence
   6. Difficulties to Expect and How to Handle Them
   7. Proven Tactics That Can Lead to a Favorable Ruling
   8. Guard Against Costly Errors When Calculating Benefits
   9. How Benefits Received Impact Other Recoveries
   10. Breakthrough Misconceptions About the Appeals Process
4. RESOLVE ETHICAL ISSUES IN YOUR PRACTICE
   2:45 - 3:45, Edward J. GallagherIII
   1. Be on the Lookout for Conflicts of Interest
   2. Useful Tips for Setting Attorneys' Fees
   3. What to Do to Ensure Confidentiality
   4. Forge a Solid Attorney/Client Relationship
5. HANDLE SPECIAL ISSUES AS THEY ARISE
   3:45 - 4:30, Edward J. Gallagher III
   1. Litigating a Childhood Disability Case? Here's What to Know
   2. Troubleshoot Non-Disability Issues Arising From Disability Claims
   3. The Danger of Mishandling Veteran's Administration Issues
   4. De-Mystify the Relationship Between Medicare and Social Security
   5. The Social Security Disability Relation to Other Ongoing Cases - Be On Alert!

EDWARD J. GALLAGHER III is a partner in the Waterloo law firm of Gallagher, Langlas & Gallagher, P.C., where his practice is concentrated in the areas of civil litigation, personal injury and Social Security law. Mr. Gallagher is a member of the Black Hawk County, the Iowa State and American bar associations, the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association (past-president), the Iowa Association for Justice, and the American Association for Justice. He earned his B.A. degree, summa cum laude, from the University of St. Thomas and his J.D. degree from Georgetown University.

MARY K. HOEFER is a partner with Mears Law Office, where for the last 15 years she has focused on representing claimants in Social Security disability and workers' compensation cases. She has been a presenter at several professional conferences on topics such as maximizing SSI benefits, jurisdiction in workers' compensation and consultative examinations. Ms. Hoefer also has done presentations for physicians and therapists on Social Security disability issues. She is admitted to practice in the Iowa state courts, before the U.S. District Court Northern District of Iowa, the U.S. District Court Southern District of Iowa, and the U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit. Ms. Hoefer practices routinely in those courts and before the Social Security Administration and the Workers' Compensation Commissioner. She is a member of the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association (Workers' Compensation Division), the National Organization of Social Security Claimant's Representatives, the Iowa Academy of Workers' Compensation Attorneys and the Johnson County Bar Association. Ms. Hoefer earned her B.A. degree from the University of Iowa and her J.D. degree from the University of Iowa College of Law, where she was a member of the Iowa Law Review and Order of the Coif.

PAUL A. SILICH is a sole practitioner in Iowa, where his main areas of practice are Social Security Disability law and workers' compensation law, as well as other areas of general practice, including personal injury law and criminal law. His duties include handling Social Security Disability, SSI, and worker’s compensation claims for clients who have been injured on the job or are unable to work. Mr. Silich graduated with honors from Northern Illinois University College of Law. He is licensed to practice law in both Illinois and Iowa.

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