If you're in Los Angeles and a disability is keeping you out of work — whether it's a denied Social Security claim, a long-term disability insurer refusing to pay, an employer who won't grant a reasonable accommodation, or termination after a diagnosis — you have more legal options here than almost anywhere in the country. California's FEHA is broader than the federal ADA, California's State Disability Insurance (SDI) replaces up to 70% of wages for a year, and the SSA hearing offices in LA hear thousands of SSDI cases each month. The five firms below cover the full range: SSDI/SSI appeals, long-term disability (ERISA), workers' compensation permanent-disability claims, and FEHA/ADA workplace cases.
"Disability" covers four very different legal lanes, and most people pick the wrong lawyer the first time. Sort yourself into the right lane before you call:
Two warning signs you need a lawyer today, not next week: a 60-day SSA appeal deadline on the denial letter, or an ERISA insurer asking for a "voluntary medical re-examination" before paying. Both are setups to close your file. The firms below all offer free consultations.
Almost every type of disability case is fee-capped or contingency-based. You should pay nothing up front for any of these:
If a lawyer asks for a retainer or hourly fee for a routine SSDI case, walk away. The SSA approves attorney fees and pays them directly out of back pay. For FEHA/ADA cases, California has fee-shifting statutes — if you win, your employer pays your attorney's fees, which is why most LA employment lawyers take strong cases on full contingency.
Most of the timeline is the system, not your lawyer. Realistic 2026 ranges for LA:
None of these timelines are flexible. A lawyer's job is to make sure you don't lose on a paperwork deadline and that the record is strong enough to win at the hearing or in court.
LA firm since 1955 with deep workers' compensation, permanent-disability, and SSDI/long-term-disability practice. Bilingual staff. Strong fit when your case has overlap — a workplace injury that becomes a long-term disability claim, or a permanent-disability award that triggers Social Security offsets. Robert Koszdin and team handle the rating math directly.
Workers'-comp-only LA practice handling cumulative trauma, repetitive-stress, and permanent-disability rating disputes at the WCAB. Bilingual staff. Particularly strong for hospital, warehouse, construction, and public-employee workers whose disabilities developed over years rather than a single incident.
Downtown LA plaintiff-side employment firm. Top 100 Super Lawyers in Southern California. Handles disability discrimination, failure-to-accommodate, and retaliation cases under both FEHA and ADA. Strong choice when your disability case is really about how your employer treated you after you disclosed it.
Established LA plaintiff-side employment firm covering wrongful termination, disability and pregnancy discrimination, workplace harassment, and class actions. Frequent FEHA filings in LA Superior Court. Good fit when your disability claim involves a related wage-and-hour or retaliation overlay.
SSDI/SSI-focused practice with a long history of representing California claimants at hearings in Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Bernardino, and Downey ODAR. Volume practice means deep familiarity with local ALJs and the specific medical-listing arguments that move the needle in California cases.
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