If a medical condition is keeping you from working in the Boston area, your main legal paths are federal SSDI/SSI (if you've earned enough work credits or qualify on income), private long-term disability insurance (if you have employer-provided LTD), and Massachusetts Chapter 151B / ADA claims (if your workplace mistreated you because of the condition). Massachusetts also has its own Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) for shorter-term medical leave. The 4 firms below cover all of these — SSDI hearing experience at the Boston ODAR, ERISA long-term disability denials, and Chapter 151B / ADA workplace cases.
You don't always need a lawyer to apply for SSDI, but several situations require one before you do anything else:
Boston disability hearings primarily run through the Boston ODAR in the JFK Federal Building. ERISA appeals go to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Chapter 151B charges are filed with the MCAD or EEOC within 300 days of the adverse action.
Social Security pays approved attorney fees directly out of back pay — you never write a check. ERISA cases are typically contingency, sometimes with fee-shifting under ERISA § 502(g) where the case is strong. Chapter 151B and ADA cases have fee-shifting, so prevailing plaintiffs usually recover attorney's fees from the employer.
None of these timelines are flexible. The lawyer's job is to prevent paperwork-deadline losses and build the medical record so the judge or insurer has to approve.
Boston-area firm focused exclusively on Social Security disability and SSI. Operates across four New England hearing offices — Boston, Springfield (MA), Providence (RI), and Manchester (NH) — with a 17+ year track record. Strong choice for SSDI-only cases where you want a firm that does nothing else.
Boston firm helping injured and disabled workers for 50+ years, with 185+ years of combined attorney experience and 30,000+ claims handled. Cross-practice strength: when a Boston worker's disability claim overlaps with a workplace injury, third-party tort, or insurance bad-faith claim, this firm runs all the lanes.
Boston-area firm representing chronically ill and disabled clients for 20+ years. Particular strength in long-term disability and chronic-illness cases — autoimmune disorders, heart conditions, and cancer — where the medical record requires careful attention. Multi-office statewide reach (Worcester, Springfield, Lowell).
Eastern Massachusetts disability practice since 1993. Represents injured and disabled people in SSDI, SSI, and workers' compensation claims. Good fit when you want a smaller-firm relationship — single-attorney attention from intake through hearing — rather than a high-volume practice.
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