Program Details
2025-11-06 15:00:00
Over 1,000+ webinars
Course Overview
2025-11-06 15:00:00
1h CLE Credits
Intermediate
1
3:00 pm - 3:20 pm ESTThis session explores the tension between effective client representation and judicial hostility in Social Security disability hearings. Panelists discuss strategies for preparing clients for adversarial environments, handling continuance denials, and maintaining composure when ALJs become confrontational or make unfounded allegations against practitioners.
Meghan Gallo
Asha Sharma
Laura Melnick
Ed Olson 3:20 pm - 3:40 pm ESTPractitioners learn essential techniques for preserving appellate rights when facing hostile ALJs, including proper objection procedures for vocational expert testimony and five-day letter challenges. The session covers building comprehensive records for federal court review and responding to arbitrary time limits on questioning.
3:40 pm - 4:00 pm ESTThis session addresses formal mechanisms for challenging ALJ misconduct, including filing complaints with Regional Chief ALJs and the Appeals Council. Panelists examine a detailed case study involving unfounded fraud allegations and discuss the power of collective action by the practitioner community to curb problematic judicial conduct.
Meghan Gallo is a regional attorney at GCC Law Firm in Rogers, Arkansas, with a practice extending across states in the Midwest and the South. With 15 years of experience, she devotes her practice exclusively to representing disabled individuals before the Social Security Administration and in federal court. Meghan currently serves as the Eighth Circuit Representative on the NOSSCR Board of Directors and speaks regularly at NOSSCR conferences and attorney groups nationwide on vocational evidence issues. A graduate of the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management and the University of Arkansas School of Law (Dean’s List, J.D. 2010), she brings both a business-grounded analytical perspective and deep legal expertise to her disability advocacy. As the proud parent of a disabled child, Meghan brings a rare personal dimension to her professional commitment, one that fuels her resolve to fight for the rights and well-being of every client she represents.
Asha Sharma is an attorney specializing in Social Security Disability law since 2005, having handled more than a thousand Social Security Disability hearings with extensive experience in disability health and children’s mental health.
Laura Melnick is the Lead Economic Justice Attorney at Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS), supervising the East Metro Economic Justice Unit and championing legal access for low-income communities with a focus on housing, employment, and public benefits.
Ed Olson has been representing individuals seeking Social Security disability benefits since 1991. Over more than three decades, he has successfully represented clients at every level of the Social Security Administration’s disability claim process — from initial application through the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ed is a frequent speaker before groups and organizations on the Social Security disability claim process and has been a featured speaker at multiple meetings of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR).
Meghan Gallo is a regional attorney at GCC Law Firm in Rogers, Arkansas, with a practice extending across states in the Midwest and the South. With 15 years of experience, she devotes her practice exclusively to representing disabled individuals before the Social Security Administration and in federal court. Meghan currently serves as the Eighth Circuit Representative on the NOSSCR Board of Directors and speaks regularly at NOSSCR conferences and attorney groups nationwide on vocational evidence issues. A graduate of the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management and the University of Arkansas School of Law (Dean’s List, J.D. 2010), she brings both a business-grounded analytical perspective and deep legal expertise to her disability advocacy. As the proud parent of a disabled child, Meghan brings a rare personal dimension to her professional commitment, one that fuels her resolve to fight for the rights and well-being of every client she represents.
Asha Sharma is an attorney specializing in Social Security Disability law since 2005, having handled more than a thousand Social Security Disability hearings with extensive experience in disability health and children’s mental health.
Laura Melnick is the Lead Economic Justice Attorney at Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS), supervising the East Metro Economic Justice Unit and championing legal access for low-income communities with a focus on housing, employment, and public benefits.
Ed Olson has been representing individuals seeking Social Security disability benefits since 1991. Over more than three decades, he has successfully represented clients at every level of the Social Security Administration’s disability claim process — from initial application through the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ed is a frequent speaker before groups and organizations on the Social Security disability claim process and has been a featured speaker at multiple meetings of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR).
Requirements
The Alabama State Bar MCLE Commission requires attorneys to complete 12 credits, including 1 ethics, by December 31 of each year. All credits must be reported by February 15 of the following year. A maximum of 12 credits, including 1 ethics credit, may be carried over for 1 year only.
Formats
