Social Security Disability Law: Comprehensive Strategies from Filing to Appeals Council, Including Ethical Challenges

Sarah Soucie Eyberg, Founder and Owner | Soucie Eyberg Law, LLC

Sarah Soucie Eyberg practices Social Security Disability law exclusively, having founded her Minnesota firm in 2014. She built her practice around client service, learning early from her father that lawyering means serving clients first. Her model emphasizes frequent communication, attorney availability, and a teamwork approach to case development and direction. Compassionate and empathetic, she works to ensure that every client feels heard and validated and that all their questions are fully addressed.

• Education & Credentials

Sarah earned her Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law, now Mitchell Hamline School of Law, after completing a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and English at the University of St. Thomas. Attending Minnesota schools allowed her to build a legal network while still studying. She gives back to both institutions, serving as an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline and participating in the University of St. Thomas mentor program at the undergraduate and law school levels.

• Recognition & Leadership

The Minnesota State Bar Association named Sarah its Outstanding New Lawyer of the Year for 2018-2019, and she was recognized as a Rising Star Super Lawyer for 2020. Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity honored her with the Dan D. Halpin Award, and the New Lawyers Section named her Outstanding Section Member in 2016. As District Justice for Phi Alpha Delta’s District X, she mentored chapters across Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin and organized semiannual leadership conferences.

• Professional Involvement

Sarah belongs to the Minnesota State Bar Association, the Anoka County Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives, Minnesota Women Lawyers, and Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International. She serves on the councils of the MSBA’s New Lawyers Section, Social Security Disability Section, and Practice Management and Marketing Section, and as an Assembly At-Large Representative to the MSBA Executive Council. She also stays active with her local chapter of the League of Women Voters.

• Experience

Sarah founded her firm in March 2014 and has focused her practice exclusively on Social Security Disability law ever since. She chose the field because it lets her help chronically ill and injured people secure the benefits they are owed. Recognizing that the application and appeals process is complex and weighted against claimants, she guides clients through the deadlines and procedures that overwhelm many who attempt the process alone, producing better outcomes through professional representation.

SESSION 1 – Building the Case from Day One: Medical and Vocational Evidence | 1:00pm – 1:30pm

Strong claims start at intake, not at the hearing. Learn to gather functional medical and vocational evidence early, tie impairments to specific work limitations, and avoid late-stage fixes that rarely save a weak record.

SESSION 2 – Internal Systems and Workflows that Keep Cases Moving | 1:30pm – 2:00pm

Cases stall when files sit and deadlines slip. Build internal systems and workflows that track development tasks, flag missing records, and keep each claim advancing so nothing falls through between application and hearing.

BREAK | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

SESSION 3 – Preparing Clients to Testify and Arguing Persuasively at the Hearing | 2:10pm – 2:40pm

Hearing success depends on preparation as much as argument. Ready clients to testify in plain, consistent terms, develop a clear and defensible disability theory, and present focused arguments that give ALJs the clarity they reward.

SESSION 4 – Evaluating Appeals and Meeting Ethical Obligations | 2:40pm – 3:10pm

Not every denial should be appealed. Evaluate case viability honestly, then meet the ethical demands of this work: managing contingency fees, staying responsive to clients in crisis, and holding a high standard of advocacy throughout.