Mel L. Crawford

Mel was a Godsend when we needed a lawyer most. My husband worked for many years after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, but eventually had to stop working last year. His company’s disability insurance company denied his short-term disability claim! That’s when Mel stepped in with a firm, well-written letter to the disability insurance company, and they immediately reversed their decision. Mel also assisted us with the long term disability application, which was readily approved. Mel was very quick to answer our calls and respond to emails and give wise counsel. His fee was surprisingly affordable. Mel helped us through a difficult and challenging time. I can’t imagine what we would have done without his help! Mel truly cares about people faced with disabilities; he cared for us. Mel has the experience and knowledge and dedication to take on disability companies, which are often dishonest and corrupt. Don’t go it alone! Mel is exceptional—a true Godsend. We can’t thank him enough.

I disagreed with an insurance company for months and months about their decision to terminate my benefits. I read every word of a 900+ page case file. I wrote what I thought was an incredibly strong appeal. The insurance company's tactics were transparently manipulative, stalling, and biased. Their decision forced me to do things that were not in my best interest medically. I was on the verge of giving up because it was just too much when a trusted person gave me Mel's contact information. Everything changed after that. Mel was reassuring, compassionate, and empathetic. He helped me understand that it wasn't personal. It was what insurance companies did and that this one was one of the worst of the worst. It was empowering when the insurance company asked one more blatantly stalling thing of me to be able to have Mel immediately contact them telling them that from there on out everything went through him. He wrote a second letter building on my own appeal, but based in legal precedence and without my frayed emotions. Mel is a gifted and effective writer. He had a quiet and calming demeanor with me, but his communications with the insurance company were professional but with a firm tone that left no doubt that they were no longer dealing with a person they could continue their standard practices with. Mel is clearly passionate about his work and cares very much about his clients. The insurance company seemed to double down but Mel's expertise in handling these matters allowed him to walk me through the expected reactions and possible outcomes. And we were very prepared and able to respond quickly and definitively. I was battling a huge corporation solo before hiring Mel. After hiring Mel, despite that we were a small team, Mel made us so effective against the insurance company that I feel we forced them to admit (of course, without admitting) that they had made the wrong decision initially. Ultimately, Mel brought us to a conclusion that I never could have on my own despite that I had in my original appeal accurately identified several of the shortcomings of the insurance companies decision. Despite this, their tactics had completely worn me down and without Mel I would have walked away. I absolutely felt that I was being bullied by the insurance company and felt utterly powerless to do anything about it. Mel very much helped me regain that empowerment by speaking on my behalf with his years of legal expertise behind his words. It's easy to feel like you have no options as a single person against a huge insurance company, but with Mel advocating for you, even two people can face a huge corporation that has had years to perfect their tactics of breaking people down. I believe I could have spared myself a lot of anguish if I'd hired Mel earlier.

I was referred to Mel and couldn’t have been happier with the results. He is professional, upstanding and knowledgeable. He handled my disability case with ease and knew exactly what he was doing. Mel knows exactly what to do to get you your deserved compensation. He keeps in touch regularly with updates and guides you through the process with his experience. Mel is definitely the person you want on your side. I can’t say enough about his talent dealing with the disability insurance companies. If you have been denied your claim, Mel is absolutely the lawyer you need.

Mel Crawford handled my husband's disability case professionally and successfully. He held my hand when I was overwhelmed by the paperwork, he listened when I was frustrated by the process, he was efficient with his time to minimize our costs, and he got us the benefits we deserved. I cannot recommend him more highly!

Mel Crawford is a brilliant attorney. From the first day we spoke I felt he had true empathy and understanding for my medical condition and a passion for justice and helping people. I had spoken to two other lawyers and they declined to work with me as they felt I would not win my case. Mel on the other hand could see through the Long Term Disability’s denial. His appeal was validating, accurate and thorough. Despite the challenges posed by the LTD he prevailed and won my case. I am so grateful and appreciative of Mel and highly recommend him as a disability lawyer.

Was looking for a lawyer to help with my insurance company denying my disability benefits for no apparent reason other than to hope I just go away. I found Mel and he cut through the issues with his experience and sent them all the evidence they needed. They never asked me for any of these records. With the overwhelming evidence in their possession, they had had no choice but to re-instate the benefits I paid for all those years. Great experience all around. Thanks Mel!!

Two important facts: first, Mel won our case. Second, and as important to us, Mel was compassionate. My wife and I feel incredibly fortunate to have connected with Mel during a very difficult time for us. We were faced with a difficult situation of me being diagnosed with and disabled by multiple sclerosis. This caused me to lose my job and my ability to find other work. My disability insurance company took every opportunity to deny my long-term disability claim. With kindness and compassion as well as expertise and confidence, Mel worked us through the complicated process of disputing, and overturning, the insurance company’s position to deny my claim. This included working with my health care professionals, witnesses and filing a federal court case. We doubt we would have reached this good outcome if it was not for Mel’s many years of experience and extraordinary capabilities. Throughout the process Mel showed us kindness and showed the insurance company that they were wrong. We can’t imagine what this would have been like without working with Mel. Mel allowed us to focus on my medical challenges and minimized the emotional toll on us that came with fighting a big insurance company. Without reservation, my wife and I recommend Mel for any situation that falls in his many areas of expertise. With the utmost confidence, we have recommended him to close friends. We hope you do not need his services, but if you do, please contact Mel Crawford. We believe you will experience the same level of expertise and compassion we did during a very challenging ordeal.

Mel was initially recommended to me by a very trusted family member, who had practiced law in Seattle >40 years. I am beyond grateful, as Mel helped me so much. My career as a physician was ended by a debilitating and ongoing illness. My professional disability insurance company had revoked my earned benefits without any reasonable cause, even though I continued to meet all contractual requirements. I found Mel to be consistently kind, professional, and thorough. After receiving the comprehensive appeal from Mel, the decision was reversed in 2 weeks. I attribute that speed to the powerful and lengthy package of supporting evidence sent to them by Mel, on my behalf. A very difficult time was made easier having such a smart and compassionate person advocating for me.

Mel is top notch. He clearly has the experience to navigate ERISA law. He understands the dynamics of creating a solid case for an appeal (what I had hired him for), as well as planning for if the case ends up in front of a judge. Mel is also personable, integrous, and communicates well. When I hired Mel, I felt like I was in good hands and am grateful to have had his help.

I have been fighting stage 4 cancer. At some point in the treatment, I become unable to work. I needed disability benefits to continue the treatment with my medical providers in Seattle, WA. Without it, I would have to go back to a community in Midwest where I probably could not count on the same quality of medical care. However, the process of disability approval was so demanding, I could not respond to all that was required of me without a help of an experienced lawyer. An impressive recommendation led me to Mel Crawford. Mel called me the same day I contacted him to find out the details of the case. The discussion convinced me that he is the right person for the job, and he agreed to represent me in this case. He had to resolve ambiguities in the requests for medical information from the disability company to my medical providers, find out from the medical records departments of my providers the details of records release process and communicate them to the disability company, organize as speedy release of medical records as possible, and help speed up the review process. With his immediate reactions, he was able to prevent misunderstandings and delays that could have triggered negative response to my request. Yet he had plan in mind for that scenario too. He was also keeping me abreast of the progress throughout the process. Thanks to Mel, my disability request was approved several weeks after I hired him. Mel is an experienced and highly organized lawyer with outstanding communication skills. He represented me with utmost sincerity and dedication. His exceptional knowledge of the employee benefits law and his understanding of the complexities and pitfalls of the disability approval process were also the keys to the positive resolution of my disability request. I am grateful to Mel Crawford for representing me in this case. I am, without any hesitation, recommending Mel to anyone who needs an employee benefits lawyer.

We hired Mel due to my wife's school districts insurance company denying coverage for medical disability insurance. The school was not the issue, the disability insurance carrier was. Mel fought for my wife's rights and the coverage benefits that she had paid into the system for many years to have coverage for, he did a great job to protect our interests and obtain what she was entitled to.

Mel is an A+++ attorney and is expertly knowledgeable in his craft. He helped me navigate very difficult situations for a year and a half with disability insurance companies so that I get the time I needed to recover from my health challenges. Mel is kind, caring, and compassionate - something that is very rare to find in business these days. I would recommend Mel to anyone that needs support the way I did because I don't think I would have been able to concentrate on my health recovery if it wasn't for Mel. I am very grateful for what Mel has done for me.

I hired Mel Crawford to help me appeal my disability benefits which were denied. During the consultation with Mel, he explained the process of the appeal, his role and responsibilities, as well as my role and his expectations of me. He was articulate, patient and thorough during the consultation and made sure I understood the work involved, the time involved, and the risks as well. Mel Crawford worked diligently through out my appeal. He kept me informed throughout the entire process, he stayed focused and did alot of research into my claim and all the medical records involved. There were years of medical records and Mel went over everything. I learned so much from Mel about my own disability and how to navigate effective medical treatment. Mel Crawford was successful in my case and the decision to continue my disability benefits was reinstated. Mel Crawford was so professional throughout the entire process and I always felt that he was working hard to defend my case. I highly recommend Mel Crawford to any person who needs help with their disability needs.

I want you to know Mel. Is way more than amazing attorney he is amazing human being and a friend it's been over 25 years since Mel handled my case. Which he won but in the last 25 year's when ever I need to talk to Mel about something he has always been there to give Me his advice I'm so glad Mel came into my life over 25 years ago so much more than just. A great attorney he's amazing person and a friend Thanks Mel for being you. Ron tumwater wa

Mel is a dream as a lawyer, partner and human. He’s been my lawyer for 3+ years and helped me get short-term and long-term disability claims approved with two different insurance companies for both phases. He also helped me get continued coverage at the two-year mark when the definition of disability changed. For context on my conditions, I had cancer and am disabled from long-term side effects from the surgeries, radiation, and chemotherapy. I now have chronic pain and cognitive issues. He knows his area of law inside and out - he’s incredibly smart and has been doing this kind of law exclusively for so long that his experience is also an advantage. He also knows the insurance companies well enough to know the nuances of working with each. He also knows all the tricks the disability insurance companies play. He advised me ahead of time on how they might try to decline coverage both at the onset, and at the 2 year mark when many disability insurance plans change the definition on what is required to be considered disabled. My health situation is complicated and is one they’d likely try to cut off at 2 years. And he was right. Literally every step the insurance company made Mel had predicted and we had prepared for. And we won. The insurance company continued to approve my claim and there was no interruption in my benefits. Had I not had Mel as my lawyer, this likely wouldn’t have gone my way. I knew I had a legitimate claim, but the disability insurance companies aren’t always looking at whether it’s legitimate, but instead how to minimize their payout. Mel has always billed conservatively. He never ran the bill up with unnecessary conversations or steps. His rates were more than fair for the work he did and especially for the outcomes. I plan on retaining Mel for as long as he’ll keep me as a client! I feel like he genuinely cares about me as a person and about helping me. I already have enough to worry about with my health issues and having Mel on my team makes my life easier and less stressful.