New Law Firm Caters to the Poor, Plans to Tap State Program for Fees
A new Minneapolis law firm formed by two former legal-aid lawyers plans to serve homeless and low-income clients by tapping the state for legal fees.
A Minnesota program pays lawyers $750 when they are successful in helping disabled clients obtain Supplemental Security Income by filing the complicated paperwork, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. If the lawyers lose on the first round, but win on appeal, they earn $2,500.
There’s a catch: If the lawyers are unable to show their clients can’t work full-time because of their disabilities, they earn no fees at all. The chances of success are about 25 percent on a typical SSI application, the story says, and the lawyers may have to wait six months to three years before the cases are resolved and they are eligible for fees.
The new firm, Cooper & Reid, is a partnership between lawyers Tracy Reid and Emily Cooper. “Some of our friends think, ‘Are you people nuts? How can you make a living with clients who are poor?’ ” Cooper told the Star Tribune. “Well, the deal with the state will help—down the road—and actually some low-income people can afford to pay us something.”
The program will save money for Minnesota because it shifts residents from its lower-paying general assistance program to the federal disability program. Last year the state paid law firms $1.35 million for SSI applications and appeals, and it saved $8.5 million as a result, the story says.
