Robert F. Kiel

My name is Tim Connor, I became disabled in 2013. Shortly after I became disabled, I filed for Social Security Disability benefits on my own, and was turned down by the Florida Stare reviewers; Thanks Social Security! In 2014 I decided to appeal the decision and hired a Social Security Law firm t...o provide counsel. The appeal hearing took place in Fort Lauderdale in front of Administrative Law Judge with no representation whatsoever from my attorney. Their lack of support and knowledge of my case resulted in an "Unfavorable Decision." That firm subsequently recommended that I not appeal the decision, and informed me that they were withdrawing from further "representation" of me. They also informed that I had 60 days to appeal if I chose to pursue it on my own or with another counselor. I called several other Social Security Law firms that I found on Google, all of which also recommended that I drop my case as the chances of winning an appeal were by far against me, and would be a waste of time and effort. As I stubbornly continued my search, I happened upon Robert Kiel's firm in the Google search results. When I called them, they took interest in my case immediately, met with me personally to learn the details of my case, and agreed to represent me in my last appeal. Robert Kiel and his team treated me with respect and dignity, and spent hours educating me about the process and what we needed to do as a team to have a chance to win the appeal. They studied hundreds of pages of medical records, and reviewed the recordings from my previous hearing to build a case in my favor. They had to prove to the appeals judges that the first judge, who heard my case in 2016, had made an error about the facts and the law in his decision! To challenge the unfavorable decision, Rob and his team created a detailed brief of my case and sent the appeal to the Appeals Council. Upon their review, not one, but two judges ruled to throw out the first judge's incorrect Unfavorable Decision, and granted me a new hearing for my appeal! My claim was then re-heard on June 11, 2018, and the same judge that denied me benefits just two years ago, now granted me the benefits I deserved, thanks to the expert counsel of Robert Kiel. Thank you again to Robert Kiel and his team, Luize and Olivia, for all the guidance and support they provided to help me win my case. They stuck with me, and never gave up until we won.

I called to inquire about their firm possibly representing me for an SSDI application and case. Olivia, a legal assistant, was very professional and courteous and spent several minutes discussing my situation and said she felt I had a strong case and believed they would be able to help me. She asked ...me to hold and a gentleman named Luis picked up the phone and began asking me questions. He loudly talked over me and became increasingly loud and hostile. I'm still not sure as to why. He said that there was a large gap (one year) in my "medical treatment" that I could not account for and I explained that I was advised by my orthopedist that the only possible treatment available is to have surgery at this point. I don't have insurance so I have not been able to get the surgery. He began to yell at me and when I asked him to please lower his voice and allow me to finish at least one sentence he told me that I was wasting his time and I should call another lawyer. When I pointed out that both he and Olivia said that they felt I had a strong case until I asked him to stop yelling he became even angrier and said, "Fine, just talk to Olivia then!" She got back on the line and confirmed that they could not help me and wished me luck. I never complain and this is the first review I have ever written. However, I was so stunned and shook up that I decided to ask to speak to Mr. Kiel to tell him what had transpired. While he did offer the name of two other attorneys he was curt and dismissive and clearly agitated. I've never had an experience like this before. I cannot express the level of unprofessionalism and rude tone, enough. I'm fine with them not wanting to represent me, but the level of rudeness was over the top for me.

Robert F. Kiel was enormously helpful in my hour of need when my disability occurred. It was a particularly difficult case as I have many acute and chronic maladies which were handled in a concise and efficient manner. My case was especially challenging with many aspects to it. Mr. Kiel was helpf...ul in assisting me to organize a vast amount of information and did his utmost in handling my case with great direction and follow-up. His acumen in his field was most welcome because medical and legal matters require much analysis and, plain old hard work. He cares about the difficulty the patient is in. He deserves ones highest commendation.