Tennessee disability lawyers since 2002
Nashville’s Social Security Disability Law Firm
Downard & Associates is a Social Security Disability law firm in Lebanon, Tennessee, serving Nashville and claimants in all 50 states and DC. We handle SSDI and SSI applications, appeals, hearings, and Appeals Council review for adults. There is no fee unless you win.
- Since 2002Practicing disability law
- 100% disabilitySocial Security Disability is all we do
- NationwideRepresentation before SSA in every state
- Top 150, ACRDNational ranking, 2024
- No fee unless you winNothing paid up front
- 25% or $9,200Fee cap set by federal law
Practice areas
Social Security Disability help at every stage of a claim
Every case at Downard is a disability case. It is the only kind of case we take, and we have been doing this work for more than two decades.
Disability Appeals
If you were denied, you have 60 days to appeal at every level. We handle reconsideration, hearings, and the Appeals Council, and coordinate a referral when a case needs federal court.
Appeals and denialsDisability Hearings
The hearing is where contested cases are decided. We complete the file before the deadline and prepare you for the questions.
Hearing representationSSDI Claims
Applications and full case management for Social Security Disability Insurance, from the work-credit check forward.
SSDI claimsSSI Claims
Need-based federal benefits for adults without enough work history. The filing date is money, and we protect it.
SSI claimsApplying for Disability
How to file a claim that holds up: what Social Security asks, what decides it, and the mistakes that cost months.
ApplyingSSDI for Veterans
The Social Security side for veterans with VA benefits, led by a former Air Force Judge Advocate. We do not handle VA claims or VA appeals.
VeteransConditions We Handle
From back injuries to PTSD to long COVID, every claim is judged under one federal standard. If your condition is not listed, call anyway.
ConditionsHow a claim moves
The five stages of a Social Security disability claim
Each appeal is due 60 days after you receive the last decision. We take adult SSDI and SSI claims at every one of these stages.
Application
You apply for SSDI, SSI, or both, and a state agency reviews the medical side.
Initial decision
Social Security mails a written decision with its reasons.
Reconsideration
A fresh review of the file, with any new evidence added.
Hearing
An administrative law judge decides the case on the full record.
Appeals Council
Review of the judge’s decision for legal and evidentiary error.
After the Appeals Council, the next step is federal district court, which we refer to affiliated counsel. Sources: 20 CFR 404.900; 20 CFR 404.901.
How we work
Why people hire Downard for a disability claim
You will hear the real odds at the first phone call. Our managing attorney’s advice is to expect a denial in the first two rounds, and planning for that early saves the months that matter.
You will also hear what your file is missing while there is still time to fix it. We are honest to a fault, sometimes uncomfortably so, because the records usually tell the judge the truth anyway. And you will deal with people who chose this work on purpose: helping someone win benefits they paid for through decades of work is the kind of thing that never gets old.
SSDI works the way an insurance policy does. You paid the premiums through payroll taxes, and our job is to show Social Security the claim is covered.
This is not an assembly line.Ray Akers, Managing Attorney
The fee is the same everywhere by federal law: nothing up front, nothing at all unless you win, and never more than 25 percent of past-due benefits or $9,200, whichever is less. Our fees and costs page explains every dollar.
Our home market
Nashville disability lawyers with a nationwide practice
Our office sits in Lebanon, in Middle Tennessee, and Nashville is home. Claimants there often confuse the Nashville hearing office with the Social Security field offices nearby; the full local picture, including which office decides your claim, lives on our Nashville disability lawyer page.
Social Security Disability is federal law, so we represent claimants in all 50 states and DC, with consultations and most hearings by phone or video. Choose your state on the map, or see every state we serve and the hearing office that decides each claim.
Representation before Social Security nationwide: 42 U.S.C. 406; 20 CFR 404.1705(a).
Client reviews
What disability clients say about working with Downard
★★★★★
Every single person at this firm had my back. Always available to answer questions, fought for my approval, and got it. I can’t say enough about Downard & Associates. There’s no better choice. Thanks so much!
Catherine S.
SSDI appeal client
★★★★★
I didn’t know how important choosing the right law firm could impact my success. Jodi patiently explained the process and constantly reassured me. If you are looking for high expertise and great communication, please hire Downard.
Rachel B.
SSDI client
★★★★★
When I was down and needed help, Downard was there. The whole team treated me like a person, not a case number. Thank you Downard & Associates for helping me get my life back.
Joshua H.
SSI client
Reviews describe individual clients’ experiences. Every claim is decided on its own facts, and past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
Free case review
Talk to a disability lawyer about your claim today
The system is imperfect, the waits are real, and the deadlines are unforgiving. What you control is when you start and how complete your file is, and both improve the moment you pick up the phone.
We respond within 3 business hours, and you will be talking to people who do nothing but this.
Send Us a Message