Not entering law school until the age of 45, David Stevens was motivated to advocate on behalf underrepresented individuals like his developmentally and physically disabled brother. Stevens maintained a general solo practice that included representing his own disability clients while also acting a 3rd party representative for nation-wide firms. He eventually gained employment at the Social Security Administration, preparing disability case overviews for ALJs before hearings, and then drafting ALJ decisions after the hearings. Since retiring from the SSA in April of 2024, Stevens has resumed representing disability claimants in hearings and has trained disability law firm staff in case preparation and presentation. He joins us today to share his experiences from inside the Social Security Administration and most notably, what the Judges he worked with found most persuasive within disability cases.