John L Roberts

We needed to sell our parents’ home. Probate was needed for two people to clear title to the house. Attorney Roberts handled the probate cases and prepared for the real estate closing. Attorney Roberts negotiated with MassHealth and obtained lien releases. Attorney Roberts handled the real estate closing and we distributed proceeds from the real estate closing to me and my brothers and sisters.

After my first application for disability was denied by Social Security, I called Attorney Roberts, and he started working on my case. The treatment of my condition by a medical specialist had been interrupted, because I didn’t have health insurance. Attorney Roberts explained how I could get health insurance coverage, so I could go back and get treatment from that doctor again. Attorney Roberts then asked the doctor for detailed testimony to explain my condition. My specialist has many patients, and declined to provide detailed testimony to supplement the medical treatment notes and other information that was already in my medical records. Attorney Roberts gathered all of the medical records and went with me to the Social Security Disability hearing. But the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) said she did not believe that the pain caused by my condition prevented me from working, because I had collected unemployment compensation after losing my last job. She said she believed that I could still work, because I had received unemployment insurance. Attorney Roberts appealed the case to federal court, but the federal Judge decided there was nothing he could do in my case, because the issue was “credibility” (the ALJ believed that I could still work). As soon as we received that Federal Court decision, Attorney Roberts helped me file a new application. Attorney Roberts re-contacted the specialist who treats my condition, and explained that without his testimony, Social Security would never understand how severe my condition is, and my claim would be denied again. By then, I had regular appointments with the specialist, since I had health insurance. The specialist decided this time to provide the written testimony, and Social Security immediately allowed my claim. I recovered retroactive benefits going back 1 year before the day we filed the second application. Attorney Roberts stayed with my case until I got the result that I needed.