Law Office of Katherine Siegfried

Katherine, I want to make one final point very clear. The repeated references in your communications to my supposedly “disparaging” your office bother me considerably. Coming from an attorney, language of that nature can easily be perceived as an attempt to discourage a person from criticizing or documenting his experience. I am not going to be intimidated by legal-sounding language simply because I expressed dissatisfaction with the way your office handled this matter. What concerns me most is the written record. Your office sent me an email confirming a telephone consultation for August 19 at 1:30 p.m., expressly stating that Attorney Katherine Siegfried would call me. I was instructed to complete an intake form by 11:30 a.m. and was invited to your client portal. I was then subsequently told by you that I had no meeting scheduled with your office and that, if I believed I had an intake scheduled, “it must be a different law firm.” It was not a different law firm. It was your office, and I have retained the correspondence documenting exactly that. I understand perfectly well that lawyers have the right to decline representation, just as prospective clients have the right to decide that a lawyer or law office is not suitable for them. That is not my issue. My issue is the contradictory communications, the manner in which this was handled, and the subsequent language concerning my criticism of the office. For that reason, I intend to submit the relevant correspondence to the State Bar of California as a complaint and allow the State Bar—not you and not me—to determine whether anything about these communications or the handling of this matter raises professional-conduct concerns. I am not making that statement as a threat, nor am I asking you for anything in exchange for not filing a complaint. There is no condition attached to it. I am simply informing you of what I intend to do. I am also fully entitled to consult independent counsel regarding these events and any other legal issues that concern me. If I choose to obtain another attorney's assessment of this correspondence, I will do so. I have preserved the emails and will let the documentary record speak for itself. Abel Mendes

There is something especially revealing about answering criticism with subtle references to libel, slander, lawsuits, or other legal consequences in a way that seems designed to make people retreat. A professional is entitled to defend herself, of course. But criticism does not become illegitimate merely because it is uncomfortable, and people should not be expected to hide simply because someone hints that speaking openly may bring legal trouble. If that kind of language is meant to intimidate, it has the opposite effect on me: it confirms exactly why ordinary people need to be able to speak plainly about how they believe they were treated.

I cannot recommend this firm enough for SSDI - Jacob was thorough, attentive, patient, resourceful, and really knew the system inside and out. I am so grateful to have worked with them, I recommend them to everyone I know going through this terrible process, as they make it so much less terrible. Also, as someone who works as a patient advocate and has interviewed/worked with a lot of SSDI firms, this one stands out - for their attention to detail, their ability to follow up and follow through, and for understanding client's needs, especially since so many of them are pretty sick.

I highly recommend Katherine Siegfried’s office for representation of any disability or SSI case. I reached out to Katherine’s office after my SSI case was initially rejected and I had to begin the appeal process. I was unable to work, I was losing my housing, and I found the process to be overwhelming and hostile, even with my own background in professional advocacy. When I called Katherine’s office, I was connected with Mika, one of the legal advocates, who went over the details of my case with me in a free consultation. She was very understanding of how taking care of myself had become a full-time job for me, and that my younger age should not disqualify me from being too disabled to work. It took about two years total to get approved for SSI, and someone from Katherine’s office was with me every step of the way since I signed up for their assistance. One of their other legal advocates, Jacob, has been my primary point of contact and is especially attentive, knowledgeable, and kind. I don’t think I’ve ever had to wait more than 2 business days for an email reply, and I could reach Jacob by phone immediately (although email communication is easier for me). At one point during the process, I was feeling very sick and I had difficulty checking and responding to emails and mail for months. Jacob made multiple attempts to reach out to me, and thankfully the office continued to work with me and was very understanding about why I was struggling to respond. Furthermore, I let everyone I worked with at the office know that I was transgender (non-binary) and used they/them/theirs pronouns. Everyone was always very respectful of that, and they tried to give me as much agency as possible within the binary system that the Social Security Administration enforces. Everyone at the office introduces their pronouns in their email signatures and the office feels very trans-friendly. Although I was originally working with a different lawyer, Ambreshia, for my case, Katherine unexpectedly needed to represent me at my court hearing close to the hearing date. She made sure to fully review my case and met with me twice before my hearing to go over the process, the details of my case, and any questions I had, and then once more right after the hearing to check in and see how I was doing. She did an amazing job and I felt fully understood and represented. They helped win my case even when Social Security Administration’s contracted doctor tried to claim I wasn’t disabled enough. They took care of hours of calling, thousands of pages of medical documentation, and staying on top of all notices and requirements from Social Security. Even after Katherine’s office received payment, they have continued to give me advice and are helping me resolve an issue. I feel that Katherine’s team truly cares about their clients beyond just a form of payment. Working with Katherine’s team was completely worth the cost from my backpay, and I would recommend anyone eligible to work with her office. Having a lawyer during this process helps a lot, and Katherine’s office has demonstrated dedication, experience, competence, and care.