Smith, Mark S Heard & Smith LLP

I have read the previous comment about them and this is what I have to say. They called me today asking and getting information about my social security case. First off I have already found out that they lied to me already! They told me that they are only social security disability lawyers and nothing else. I have been to there website and on it states Guardianship, Probate, Estates and Trusts Lawyers. I don't like being lied to. How can you trust when they lie to you. They said that they are going to send me information in the mail and for me to read it and send it back. They also want to call me back for more information. After reading the other comments and knowing they have already lied to me I will not use them as my lawyer. I would like to thank the other people for posting their comments. Sincerely, Debbie more

\r Stay away from the Heard & Smith disability law firm. They are running a ""disability mill"" and if your claim gets approved - believe me - it is just dumb luck. The first time I talked with them they told me most claims they handled rarely had to go to the hearing stage. THIS WAS A BLATANT LIE. I could never talk to anyone but an assistant and whenever I asked for help in getting prepared for my hearing they said I would have to do that on my own. IN OTHER WORDS THEY WANTED TO REMAIN NEUTRAL!!!!!!???????!!!!!\r \r They weren't supposed to be neutral they were my lawyers! For my hearing they got a local attorney from my area and I only spoke to her one time a couple days before my hearing. Don't dress up and don't wear makeup. That was the only advice she had for me. My medical condition wasn't even brought up. \r \r So it was no surprise that my claim was denied. When I called the Heard and Smith call center I still couldn't speak to a lawyer. They claimed all the lawyers were gone. I've heard that lots of times in the last nine months. They said one would call me the next day. Of course they didn't. It wasn't the first time I'd heard that either. \r \r This ""disability mill"" has done a good job making theirself look good on the internet. Don't buy it, I'm warning you. more

I've been denied and am getting ready to appeal the first denial. However, I will not be using heard and smith ever. I find I am having to hire an attorney to correct the misinformation sent in by heard and smith. I would not recommend this firm to anyone. They always did seem to be disorganized every time I would call them, lose information I sent in, and sending in the wrong information to SSA is a setback to my claim process. I learned a huge lesson. more

I on the other hand had a pleasant experience with Heard and Smith. I was educated well after firing my former Attorney who never kept me well informed. That sums it up AJ, you are very illiterate and yes they do know more than you. Based on your posting, it seems that you were more concern about your wife’s Social Security Check than her health. Shame on You! I as well spoke numerous times with Ms. Margarita and every conversation was pleasant. I never asked her about her years of experience but I believe it, 20 years, from all the knowledge she shared with me. I attended the Hearing with Attorney Melissa and it went well. People before you apply for Social Security, please do your homework because it is not an overnight success. It is a lengthy process. Heard and Smith are Attorneys not Magicians. I highly recommend Heard and Smith. more

Agree Run Away. Wife hired them. SSDI Case. Went all way to ALJ hearing. Fully Favorable. Appeals took it to review. Called H&S they said Dont worry about it Never happens. Well they said they would like more evidence to make there decission. H&S Nah dont need to THEY NEVER OVERTURN A DECISSION! Overturnd sent back to ALJ. Called H&S again. Margaritta Talking tome like i was a child said she had 20 yrs in this and knew way more then me and they SSA and the ALJ would never overturn there own decission wouldnt even get to hearing. Guess what. Not same ALJ this time. Get to hearing AGAIN. H&S sent a Lawyer who was cluless. Had no records. ALJ askd for SAME records last one askd for. Didnt have them, Ya know like the Hospital records. Yeah HOSPITAL RECORDS!!!!!!!!!!!! Alj got verry upset with lawyer now were on the phone Daily with H&S making sure they do what we paying them for. They will delay your case drag it out and Blunder there way thru. HEARD N SMITH IS A RIP OFF! STay away from them for your own sanity! And if they say it will happen one way Count on it going the total oposite! more

I am not sure about these other cases but my husband and I had a pleasant experience with Heard & Smith they had a team of lawyers that were always available to ask questions, kept my husband abreast step-by-step of the process. My husband even had to move from Texas back to Indiana and Heard & Smith stayed with him every step of the way. I highly recommend them as Social Security Lawyers. Keep in mind that Social Security is a lengthy process and it may take a couple years there is a lot of red tape to go thru and most everyone gets denied first time this is not Heard & Smiths fault. If you are TRULY disabled and need help these are the lawyers I would recommend. \r \r more

beware of heard and smith fake attorneys liers and thiefs more

OMG! I have an administrative hearing in August, I have been denied twice (as usual) and now a few weeks before my hearing and after waiting almost 2 years, my attorney suggests I withdraw because the judge we have is strict and we wont win. GREAT NEWS more

I hired Heard and Smith almost two years ago and have been denied twice by the social security office. When I contact them I always receive a response from them and It seems they are helpful. Now after reading these stories I am terrified...hope things go well for me. more

I hired H&S 7 months ago to help me with SSDI. 7 months later I still have not heard from them and SS tells me my case has been declined. I tried calling Heard and Smith and the phone rings with no answer. I have made many, many attempts to contact them, and no reply. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH HEARD AND SMITH... There is a post from Joshua E.. Please read it. I think he needs to quit posting here and start answering the phones. Seriously. more

This firm is an absolute rip-off.\r They did nothing to help me, I did my own leg-work.\r Tried to cancel after a few weeks.\r They collected their 25% of my income for doing NOTHING.\r I too, will contact authorities to report their extremely poor business practices. more

wow! wish id read these reviews first i just hired these guys to help me get ssdi the ink isnt dry yet and i get a call from social today to confirm im blind! what the oh guess i cant talk like that here but i sure the hell didnt tell anybody i was blind. there where a couple other things wrong as well im a bit sorry i hired them already and reading these reviews is sure got me wondering about them. to early in the game to bad mouth them yet but i will keep you posted on the outcome of my case. mistakes happen but blind pretty big mistake on my app. god let this not be the first of many.\r \r thanks Roy Dell more

The absolute worst experience I have ever had! I wish I had read these reviews before I retained these thieves. I have to beg and plead to receive any kind of response from them and when I do it is some kind of B.S. I talked to Social Security and they said that nothing had been done for the past 6 months...they are just sitting back and waiting to collect...not going to happen, I will be sending them a letter and firing them promptly. I have notified my local senator and they have someone looking into this firm. BIGGEST MISTAKE I EVER MADE!!! more

I am a lawyer and founding partner at Heard & Smith. I have read and reviewed Ms. Crosby's comments titled 'Fired!' and although I cannot talk about a past client's case (that is confidential), I can offer a general response to her concerns. Each day over 100 people come to work at Heard & Smith and work hard fighting for our client's rights. We know Social Security is quick to deny, and that our clients all need experienced help to have a fair chance. Social Security's own numbers show that those with representation are more likely to win their benefits. We help thousands of people every year win their benefits. We care about our clients, each month we represent hundreds of people in their disability hearings before Social Security judges. We are proud that our hard work is rewarded every day in the form of referrals of new clients from our current & past clients. From what Ms. Crosby has mentioned she had a difficult experience working with us, for which I apologize. We want all of our clients to trust that we are doing our best, and we hope to hear from them if they ever have doubts. Please escalate a concern to a manager if you have one, we'll work hard to quickly resolve any complaint. Our experience and dedication does more than satisfy most of our clients - we usually earn their trust. If you choose to work with Heard & Smith we will not disappoint, you can trust in us to help you win the benefits you are entitled to. more

I hired this law firm about 7 months ago, To represent me in a Social Security Disability case. I had try to make this claim by myself. I was on my last appeal. I thought it was in my best interest to now hire an attorney if I want any chance in winning my case. I finally get a court date, After waiting for a year. I call within a few days of notification to make sure they have my court date and were ready to go to bat for me. They claimed they never received the notification. So the judge had to be notified. The judge granted me a postponement and made it clear this will not happen again. Great they pissed of the judge right off the bat. Our first telephone interview for intake they were at least an hour late calling. Their excuse an advocate called in. After the intake I had to call back and verify some info. Oh, that advocate no longer works here. Who are you again? I send them paper work that they need me to fill out. Hey we got this page but I am not sure where the letter is that I told them was also in enclosed in the same envelope. Where the hell the letter go? I have done all their paperwork for them. Supplied them with all the medical records that i have obtained and are complete. I get a new advocate each time I call. And nobody knows what the hell is going on. Ask them to sum up for me what they have done for my case. Guess what? They cant. I am pissed. Attorneys you will be receiving a certified letter stating why I am terminating their services. Teresa Crosby more

I am one of the lawyers mentioned in “Rodeoqueen’s” review posted on 08/21/08. As with all things in life, there is another side to this story. Rodeoqueen and her sister were the opposing parties in this matter and lost the case. Naturally, they did not like us -- we were the opposing lawyers. We won the case for our client. As lawyers, we are used to seeing anger and resentment when we defeat the other side in court. Rodeoqueen and her sister challenged every action our client, the executor, took in the estate – from the very first hearing to the very last – even the smallest issue was opposed. Had they not opposed every proceeding, expenses could have been drastically reduced. As we do with all of our clients, we represented our client in this case effectively and zealously. The Court ruled in our client's favor, she received the inheritance that she was entitled to receive and she has not stopped thanking us. more

Do Not,I repeat, Do Not choose this firm,if you are looking for competent representation.It was a comedy of errors,but I wasn't laughing.I spent almost three years trying to get my disability compensation,and had 3 lawyers,one quit the firm,I spent endless hours helping them get everything straight,etc.,etc.,and now,since it wasn't approved,and they aren't getting paid,they are rude,and unresponsive.I requested a call from John Heard,and never got it.Therefore,beware,and choose someone else,before you get screwed like I did. more

@@@@ Pros: Been in business for over 30 years, expertise, customer serv Cons: No cons to working with this firm! Enjoyed my experience! more

You have been warned. Stay the hell away from Mark Smith and Clayton Mankser. These two charged my mothers estate over $17,000 and did nothing. They got two of my mothers properties condemned because they did not meet with the city. They charged the estate for services they did not perform. They created anomosity between my sister and I so they could steal from us. They will bill you for every phone call down to the penny. They dragged my probate case out for almost a year and a half now and it is still going on. My mothers probate was a simple case and could have been handled in a few months. Every attorney I called to represent me said to talk to my sister to get them off of the case because they are snakes. \r \r I am warning you now......STAY AWAY. It is attorneys like them that give attorneys a bad name. They will have you and your siblings fighting each other while they laugh all the way to the bank. Cons: thiefs and liars stay away from Smith and Mansker more