Mel L. Crawford

I'm deeply appreciative to Mel for working so hard on my behalf. My claim for disability under ERISA involved one of the nastier local employers. Mel didn't even blink in taking them on. In the end the insurance company paid my benefits. Mel knows this area of law inside and out. He's also easygoing ...and personable. I get the sense that he doesn't sees the person in his clients, and not just the paycheck. He clearly gets excited when he forces employers and insurance companies to comply with their policies. Last, he's very careful to keep costs as low as possible. He achieves a lot in his billable hours, making the investment in retaining him pay off even more. You will not go wrong hiring Mel to handle your ERISA claim.

It didn't take long talking to Mel to discover that none of the other attorneys we consulted even understood the difference between ERISA disability claims and Social Security or Worker's Comp. Two attorneys gave us bad advice (very bad advice!). All of the others wanted large retainers to even addre...ss our ERISA claim, while never even knowing what I meant when I referred to ERISA. We had been fighting with our insurance company over a year already, had been approved for SSDI, and we were desperate for help. My husband stumbled across Mel and I was skeptical after our prior frustrations with both attorneys and with the Insurance company. Long story short, Mel kept me thoroughly educated on the process and legal procedures, while keeping my husband assured that he was being taken care of. He saw to it that my husband was paid every cent due under his policy, and Mel still got paid. By the Insurance company. Which is exactly the way it should be!

My husband has a disability and his doctor told him to take a leave of absence. Unfortunately, Aetna said he was not disabled and there was no reason he couldn't work. We appealed with no success. Our doctor appealed with no success. We were referred to Mel and he was wonderful! He interviewed us and... explained all about how the process works and what the insurance company is looking for. He took our case and worked diligently compiling all the necessary paperwork. He researched case law and cited case after case where judges had ruled in favor of people with the exact same disabling condition we were struggling with. He showed them where there were flaws in their paperwork. As a direct result of his efforts, our appeal was approved. After 4 1/2 months of trying to live with no income, we are getting a retro check and will be getting our full disability checks in the future. Mel is extremely caring, accurate and responsive. No one could expect any more from any attorney. What a blessing this man has been to us.

I feel extremely grateful that the first two attorneys I contacted for help with my ERISA long-term disability claim had just retired. Otherwise, I would not have found Mel. Easy to work with, personable, caring, time efficient, organized, and knows exactly what to do with regard to ERISA claims. ...My insurance company had been dragging their feet for months--neither approving nor disapproving my claim. Within one month of Mel coming into the picture the claim was approved. Mel is a true advocate for the injured or ill exactly when a person needs help the most.

I engaged Mel when I was unsuccessful with my long-term disability claim with my insurance company. My appeal was denied and they provided one more review of my claim. I decided it was time to find someone who knows the ins and outs of dealing with insurance company claims. I believed I had a legit...imate claim, however getting them to approve it within the guidelines of the policy was a completely different game. Mel immediately went on the attack and completed the package for me and in the end they did approve my claim. So I received a good result and that might be the reason for my positive review. Not. Mel did exactly what needed to be done to achieve our objective and was very conscious of the cost and time spent to do so. I would definitely recommend him.