What is Fortis Advocacy Partners and what do we do?
Unfortunately, Legal Aid does not provide free services to help people with their disability benefit applications and appeals. In the past, if you wanted to apply for a Canada Pension Plan disability pension, or appeal an unfavourable decision, you needed to either do it yourself or hire a lawyer. Although lawyers often provide excellent service, their fees can be unaffordable. At Fortis Advocacy Partners MDP LLP, we recognized that British Columbians needed a third option.
Fortis Advocacy Partners assist individuals with initial applications and all levels of the appeal procedures. In situations where an individual is faced with an appeal hearing before the Social Security Tribunal of Canada, we will obtain expert assistance for you in order to protect your rights and present your case throughout these procedures. We will also accumulate the necessary information you need to meet your onus to prove disability and will provide this information in a written submission to the appeal panel. We will spend time with your doctors obtaining the necessary medical information in order to support your claim and most importantly, we will be there to assist you through this stressful time. Our team of legal professionals as well as lay case managers is here to help you.
Is this a free service?
Unfortunately, as we are not supported by the government or by private charities, we need to charge our clients in order to cover our costs. Running an organization such as Fortis Advocacy Partners MDP LLP involves significant expenses, including hiring staff, travelling to remote hearing locations, ordering medical reports, and renting office space. However, we recognize that most individuals do not have the financial means to pay for assistance. We assist clients on a percentage fee basis, which is known in the legal work as a “contingency fee” arrangement. We take a percentage of your disability arrears if you are successful at your appeal. If you are not successful, no fees are payable. If you are not successful, at least you have had the benefit of “free” expert assistance. Initial consultations are always fee. Call us today to discuss your options.