Mel L. Crawford

Mel, was key in successfully navigating my disability insurance denial/appeal and then later, a buyout offer. It was often a great relief knowing we could count on him and that we had his expertise on the case each step of the way. He has been reliable, knowledgeable and kind. Of important note is th...at his fee structure was fair.

Mel was instrumental in helping us put together an appeal after being removed from long term disability insurance. He guided us through what is a very opaque and stacked process. He was also able to identify nefarious practices and places where Unum was trying to mislead us and make the appeal more d...ifficult. Without Mel, I am not sure we would have been able to get reinstated. His ability to help, his understanding when hearing our story, and his tenacious legal ability allowed us to put together an irrefutable packet of evidence to combat Unum. He was critical to our success.

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 d...ecision 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.

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 was referred to Mel Crawford by a very reliable source and I was not disappointed. He picked up my LTD appeal case and ran with it. He connected me with the right people to help me prove my case and got a denial decision turned around. He did this on a tight timeline with very reasonable billing ti...me. I am very thankful I chose to work with him.