Mel L. Crawford

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.

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 i...s 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 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 qua...lity 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.

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.