I'm a former disability examiner for social security disability and SSI disability claims. I've also worked in claimant representation.
First of all, I'd like to point out that if you are pursuing disability benefits under either the title II (social security disability) or title 16 (SSI disability) program, you are not required to have representation at any level of the system. This even applies to the fourth level of appeal--federal district court--where a claimant can choose to proceed pro se (unrepresented) if they choose.
Having said that, though, there are levels in the disability evaluation system where you should absolutely get representation. Those levels are:
1. The disability hearing before an administrative law judge (this is the second appeal level that follows being denied on a reconsideration appeal).
2. The appeals council (the appeal level that follows if you have been denied at a disability hearing) where decisions given by administrative law judges are reviewed.
3. Federal District Court.
At any of these levels, "going alone" is not a good idea.
Now, I should also point out that your disability representative does not have to be an attorney. Many disability representatives are non-attorney claimant's reps and many of these individuals do a very competent job of providing representation. In fact, some non-attorney reps are former employees of the social security administration who know quite a bit more about the system than the average attorney.
If you are wondering why it is that a non-attorney can represent a disability claimant, even at a hearing conducted by a federal administrative law judge, the answer is simple: the social security disability system is not a legal system, but an administrative system. And in that system, disability examiners, such as myself, are responsible for making most of the decisions on disability cases.
If you're curious as to which representative will do the best job of representing your disability case, I'll say that the best representative will be someone who handles social security disability and SSI disability cases exclusively. You really want a specialist, someone who does nothing but disability cases. A non-attorney rep can be ideal for this, particularly if they used to work for social security as a field office claims rep or a disability examiner. That's because they often know the system like the back of their hand and many have spent 20-30 years working in the system.
By contrast, you don't want someone who has relatively little experience with the disability system and you certainly don't want an attorney who divides his practice between a smattering of traffic cases, dog bite cases, personal injury cases, and social security disability/SSI disability cases.
When looking for a representative, look for experience and work background.
Here are some good clues about choosing a representative and this is based on my own observations over several years.
1. Get a representative who will actually return your calls. If you find that your rep does not return your calls ever, or only has their assistant return calls, this may signal that they have too many cases and cannot devote time and attention to your particular case.
2. Get a representative who doesn't mind meeting with you personally to answer your questions. If they can't do this, they may be overloaded with cases, or not "personally vested" in representing their clients.
Beyond that, I would say not to worry about representation until your claim has been denied. If your case gets denied, consider finding representation immediately so they can get your appeal paperwork filed.