For years, our 59 year old client was a dedicated labor and employment attorney, advocating tirelessly for employees and businesses alike. Her days were filled with intricate legal research, high-pressure labor negotiations, and frequent courtroom appearances—each requiring sharp analytical skills, strategic thinking, and an unwavering ability to manage conflict.
But behind the scenes, our client was battling a personal struggle that became impossible to ignore. A combination of severe anxiety and depression began chipping away at her ability to perform her duties effectively. Drafting complex legal documents felt overwhelming. Interpreting intricate labor laws required deep focus—something that her mental health made increasingly unattainable. Phone calls with clients or adversaries turned into daunting tasks, and the stress of litigation and deadlines became unbearable. Throughout her career, she had thrived in high-stakes situations, but she now found herself paralyzed by exhaustion and emotional distress.
Despite her dedication, our client realized that continuing her practice was no longer feasible. As an attorney, she understood that getting disability insurance benefits would not be straightforward. Her coverage would pay a significant amount of month each month, if granted.
She considered filing on her own but recognized her limitations and decided to engage Newfield Law Group PRIOR to the filing of her claim, and she is now very pleased with this decision.
We strategized the issues and determined that securing functional testing of her specific limitations through objective neurocognitive testing would help to secure benefits under her disability coverage.
Once we secured objective test results demonstrating impairments across a swath of cognitive areas, we were able to tie together the occupational demands with her deficits to demonstrate clearly and irrefutably how and why she was not able to perform her work effectively.
We knew from experience that the long-term disability insurance company would typically be reluctant to acknowledge the severity of her condition based solely upon her subjective symptoms, even if well supported by both her psychologist and psychiatrist.
We were tasked with demonstrating objectively that she was unable to perform her job, including the immense toll her mental health struggles had taken on her cognitive abilities and professional responsibilities.
We worked with our client to help her meticulously document her condition, providing medical records and support from healthcare providers who knew her well and were able to embrace the objective test results, along with detailed explanations of how her symptoms directly impacted her duties. We successfully highlighted how her role required continuous decision-making, intellectual agility, and emotional resilience—all of which had been severely impaired and were documented through the testing.
As a result of our tireless advocacy and persistence, the insurance company ultimately recognized the legitimacy of our client’s claim. She was granted the benefits she desperately needed, allowing her the financial stability to prioritize her well-being. With time and treatment, we hope our client can find a new path—one where she can focus on healing, explore alternative career options, and redefine success on her own terms.
Her story is a testament to the importance of acknowledging the impact of mental health on professional capability, integrating objective tests to demonstrate loss of abilities, and fighting for the rights that every individual deserves.