My wife was hurt at work and developed an unusual and serious neurologic condition after treatment. The workman's comp insurance company didn't want to help her at all.
Machelle took this difficult case and worked it for nearly three years and succeeded in getting my wife treatment and a good settlement. We are very grateful for Machelle's expertise and effort above and beyond our expectations. Machelle rocks!
Review Left On 02/27/2020
Dar Katt
Only giving a star cuz I had to. SSI case. Rude receptionist should have been my first clue. Wasted 18 months of my life, but that is okay. My new lawyer is taking it to the Appeals Council. If we win should I send flowers?
Review Left On 02/27/2020
Chris Deml
Sincerely care/ empathetic/ listen to concerns and provide quality and fair-priced legal care....still working on my disability case, but looking fair and positive so far.
Michelle provides personal attention to me where I know know she understands my concerns and legal hardships. She fights and calls a spade a spade.
Review Left On 02/27/2018
Fameecia Ward
After being turned down for SSI for ten years in a row I called Michelle took on my case and we were denied at that point i told her no more im not appealing this any more, she told me it wasn't over and she wouldn't let them get away with this. I thought when i said no more she would have let this go. I mean i was adament about THIS. Four months later i got a letter in the mail that said it was from the supreme court in Virginia saying that i was approved. Michelle Gielarowski fights for you even when you tell her to STOP! And her staff keeps her clients stable mentally.
Review Left On 02/27/2017
ELIZABETH NEWSON
Got a family member off a case that didn't look like a good outcome
Review Left On 02/27/2017
Karla Ballesteros
We called this law firm to help with our SSI case and whoever answered the phone and was taking our information was very rude. She kept interrupting me while I was trying to explain the case to her and just kept talking to me a a very rude manor. My husband is a Veteran who got his Purple heart awarded by the president. We have been fighting for his VA benefits and trying to get his post traumatic epilepsy under control. The last thing we needed was one more rude person after everything we have been through.
Review Left On 02/27/2016
Tammy Stone
All of the staff always knows what's up. They really take care of their customers.
Review Left On 02/27/2015
Sl duran
Worst legal help I've ever had. I only went with this law firm on recommendation from a friend. First and last time I'll ever go to a lawyer based on a referral. These guys can't even pronounce my name correctly. You should be able to pronounce your clients name correctly, or at least give it some effort.
I filed for SSDI back in 2010. But I've been out of work since 2007. I have several medical problems, some of which I've had all my life and been treated, and others I've been barely diagnosed with, but had all my life.
When I first filed for SSDI in 2010, I was denied. SSDI said I was only partially disabled, and could still work. That decision came in late 2011. So, I decided to give it another shot, and started working in Jan 2012. By end of June 2012, I was given a decision from my employer to either resign, or get fired due to my inability to be to work consistently, and on time.
I refilled for SSDI, and was denied right away. So I filed for an appeal. I took myself through this entire process with no legal help. In March 2014, I had my hearing. The judge basically told me that she would approve me going back to my first application in 2010 and that she would cap the attorneys fees at $4,000 since I had done everything myself for the past 4 years, but that she wanted me to get a representative. She rescheduled me for July 2014 and I went looking for SSDI attorneys. That's where this law firm comes in.
They didn't do a damn thing for me, except short me out of 3 years of back pay. No one at this firm actually earned the chunk of money they got from my 1 year of back pay, and they took money from my children's back pay too! When I read the judges justification on her decision to short me out of 3 years of back pay I was livid. This attorney, and the judge, seem to think that my "pelvic pain" was related to "gallstones" and that it has since been resolved since I had my gallbladder removed, December 2013. (In case anyone needs an anatomy class, pelvic is lower pelvis, gallstones are upper abdominal.)
BUT THE JUDGE AND THIS ATTORNEY ARE WRONG. I HAVE OVARIAN CANCER AND SEVERE ENDOMETRIOSIS. I've had numerous surgeries going all the way back to 2006 - present. I also have Factor IV Leiden. So I cannot take ANY of the medical treatments for the endo and ovarian cancers. I've already had a hysterectomy. That means that I'm pretty much stuck, suffering in pain and discomfort for the remainder of my life. When I looked at my file, no where in the file, did the judge or the attorney request ANY of my ob/gyn records, despite that it's on all of my paperwork.
At the time of my hearing in July 2014, we were homeless, carless, jobless, etc and buried in debt due to no income. And I had just been pulled off all my medication, to do another MSLT daytime study. Between our living circumstances, and my health, I was not very coherent or conscious, to say the least. I didn't realize what the attorney and judge were telling me. And of course, I didn't get the decision and justification until after the fact. If I had known they were not including my Endo and Ovarian cancers, I would have disagreed right then and there.
The sheer fact alone, that someone would exclude something so critical. That tells me one thing. This law firm does not care about its clients, or why they are filing for SSDI. They care about the money. So you could imagine my dismay to learn my approximately $40,000 had been dwindled down to $7,000.
Law Office Reviews
Machelle took this difficult case and worked it for nearly three years and succeeded in getting my wife treatment and a good settlement. We are very grateful for Machelle's expertise and effort above and beyond our expectations. Machelle rocks!
SSI case.
Rude receptionist should have been my first clue. Wasted 18 months of my life, but that is okay. My new lawyer is taking it to the Appeals Council.
If we win should I send flowers?
I filed for SSDI back in 2010. But I've been out of work since 2007. I have several medical problems, some of which I've had all my life and been treated, and others I've been barely diagnosed with, but had all my life.
When I first filed for SSDI in 2010, I was denied. SSDI said I was only partially disabled, and could still work. That decision came in late 2011. So, I decided to give it another shot, and started working in Jan 2012. By end of June 2012, I was given a decision from my employer to either resign, or get fired due to my inability to be to work consistently, and on time.
I refilled for SSDI, and was denied right away. So I filed for an appeal. I took myself through this entire process with no legal help. In March 2014, I had my hearing. The judge basically told me that she would approve me going back to my first application in 2010 and that she would cap the attorneys fees at $4,000 since I had done everything myself for the past 4 years, but that she wanted me to get a representative. She rescheduled me for July 2014 and I went looking for SSDI attorneys. That's where this law firm comes in.
They didn't do a damn thing for me, except short me out of 3 years of back pay. No one at this firm actually earned the chunk of money they got from my 1 year of back pay, and they took money from my children's back pay too! When I read the judges justification on her decision to short me out of 3 years of back pay I was livid. This attorney, and the judge, seem to think that my "pelvic pain" was related to "gallstones" and that it has since been resolved since I had my gallbladder removed, December 2013. (In case anyone needs an anatomy class, pelvic is lower pelvis, gallstones are upper abdominal.)
BUT THE JUDGE AND THIS ATTORNEY ARE WRONG. I HAVE OVARIAN CANCER AND SEVERE ENDOMETRIOSIS. I've had numerous surgeries going all the way back to 2006 - present. I also have Factor IV Leiden. So I cannot take ANY of the medical treatments for the endo and ovarian cancers. I've already had a hysterectomy. That means that I'm pretty much stuck, suffering in pain and discomfort for the remainder of my life. When I looked at my file, no where in the file, did the judge or the attorney request ANY of my ob/gyn records, despite that it's on all of my paperwork.
At the time of my hearing in July 2014, we were homeless, carless, jobless, etc and buried in debt due to no income. And I had just been pulled off all my medication, to do another MSLT daytime study. Between our living circumstances, and my health, I was not very coherent or conscious, to say the least. I didn't realize what the attorney and judge were telling me. And of course, I didn't get the decision and justification until after the fact. If I had known they were not including my Endo and Ovarian cancers, I would have disagreed right then and there.
The sheer fact alone, that someone would exclude something so critical. That tells me one thing. This law firm does not care about its clients, or why they are filing for SSDI. They care about the money. So you could imagine my dismay to learn my approximately $40,000 had been dwindled down to $7,000.