I see where pinkflower says that the attorney "will take a significant portion of your monthly amount, if you win, for a long period of time." That's a very fuzzy statement.

An attorney who gets you approved will take exactly 25 percent of your accumulated back payments. That will be paid to the attorney in one lump sum by the federal government, who will deduct it from the back payments owed to you. Then there is a ceiling on how high that can go. Under limited circumstances, the attorney can get further reimbursed for unusual expences. The federal government tightly regulates that.

Attorneys will tell you that having the right doctor can matter more than having the best attorney. I say, "Have both." (Especially now that there is political pressure on the SSA to make the process tougher.)