1 / 22

Not Lost But Found: Searching and Finding Legal Authority, Facts, and Prior Work Product

Not Lost But Found: Searching and Finding Legal Authority, Facts, and Prior Work Product. NOSSCR Los Angeles Conference October 17, 2008 Eric Schnaufer (847) 733-1232 eric@schnaufer.com www.schnaufer.com www.schnaufer.com/LosAngeles.ppt. Google : Basics.

candace
Download Presentation

Not Lost But Found: Searching and Finding Legal Authority, Facts, and Prior Work Product

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Not Lost But Found: Searching and Finding Legal Authority, Facts, and Prior Work Product NOSSCR Los Angeles Conference October 17, 2008 Eric Schnaufer (847) 733-1232 eric@schnaufer.com www.schnaufer.com www.schnaufer.com/LosAngeles.ppt

  2. Google: Basics • [] Search Term(s) Included Within Brackets; Brackets Not Part of Search Term(s) • Automatic “and” Queries • [herniated disk] finds pages with both words • Not Case Sensitive • [Commissioner] same as [commissioner] • Exclusion of Common Words and Characters (Unless Exact Phrase) • the, a, when, how • Advanced Search Page, Advanced Tips • Google Toolbar for Firefox, IE Google

  3. Google: Two Main Operators • Exact Phrase – Between Quotation Marks • [“residual functional capacity”] • [“Social Security”] • [“Michael J. Astrue”][“Lisa de Soto”] • [“Appeals Council”] • Site Restriction – site:URL • [site:www.ssa.gov], [site:www.socialsecurity.gov] • [site:www.nosscr.org]

  4. Google: Uncommon Acronym?Test Exact Phrase Alternative • Types of Legal Authority • [HALLEX]or [“Hearings, Appeals, Litigation”] • [POMS] or [“Program Operations Manual”] • [SSR] or [“Social Security Ruling”] • Legal Concepts • [IRWE] or [“impairment-related work”] • [PRW] or [“past relevant work”] • Other • [ODAR]or [“Office of Disability Adjudication”] • [DJD]or [“degenerative joint disease”]

  5. Google: OR Operator • Find Either Alternative With [OR] • Use When Uncertain About Alternatives • [PRW OR “past relevant work”] • [UWA OR “unsuccessful work attempt”] • [ALJ OR “administrative law judge”] • [“medical expert” OR “medical advisor”] • Agency More Likely to Use Acronym • Non-Agency Less Likely to Use Acronym; Acronym Normally Introduced

  6. Google: Automatic Stemming • Google Finds Similar Words Automatically • [stoop] finds stoop and stooping • [ALJ] finds ALJ and ALJs • Automatic Stemming Imperfect • Does Not Work 100% of Time • [occasion] does not find occasionally • [occasional] does not find occasionally • Use OR Operator • [occasional OR occasionally]

  7. Google: HALLEX • HALLEX is ODAR’s Procedural Manual • http://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/hallex/ • Google (Site Restriction Unnecessary?) • [site:www.ssa.gov HALLEX Branch Fax] • [HALLEX Branch Fax] • [HALLEX dismiss OR dismissal] • [HALLEX “Appeals Council” reopen OR reopening], [HALLEX subsequent] • [HALLEX judicata], [HALLEX “res judicata”] • [HALLEX ALJ writing], [HALLEX ALJ unfair]

  8. Google: SSR Searches • Social Security Rulings • More important than statute or regulations? • Binding on adjudicators, 20 C.F.R. § 402.35 (2008) • http://www.socialsecurity.gov/OP_Home/rulings/rulings.html • Sample Searches • [site:www.socialsecurity.gov ssr stoop OR stooping] [site:www.socialsecurity.gov SSR uwa] • [site:www.ssa.gov SSR dictionary OR DOT] [site:www.ssa.gov ssr cfs OR fibromyalgia] • [site:www.ssa.gov “ninth circuit” acquiescence]

  9. Google: Regulations • Regulations, 20 C.F.R. Parts 404, 405, and 416 • Bluebook Citation to Latest April 1st Edition • Free Internet Sources • http://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/cfr20/cfrdoc.htm • http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/ • http://www.gpoaccess.gov/ECFR/ • Google Searches • [site:www.ssa.gov 404.1527] • [20 CFR 404.1527], [404.1527], [416.920a] • [site:www.ssa.gov recontact OR recontacting]

  10. Google: Regulations (cont.) • More Google Searches • [site:www.ssa.gov CFR treating source] • [site:www.ssa.gov CFR “Social Security Rulings”] • [site:www.ssa.gov CFR consultative] • [site:www.ssa.gov CFR “Appeals Council”] • [site:www.ssa.gov “code of federal regulations” 1.04] • [site:www.ssa.gov “code of federal regulations” asthma] • [site:www.ssa.gov CFR daily]

  11. Federal Register • Federal Register – Proposed Regulations, Final Regulations, SSRs, ARs, Notices • http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html • Federal Register Has Own Search Function, http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/advanced.html • http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/tips.html • Use [Baltimore Social ADJ Security] • Google Searches Unreliable • [“Federal Register” 2007 “Social Security Ruling”]

  12. Google: POMS Not Indexed? • POMS – Agency’s Manual of Procedure • Washington State Dep't of Soc. & Health Servs. v. Keffeler, 537 U.S. 371 (2003) (deferring to POMS). • https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/ • Google Does Not Index All POMS • POMS DI 25020.010 • POMS Has Own Search Function • Increase return pages to 250+ • Use word variants and fuzzy search • DAA Teletype? http://tinyurl.com/6ymggo • Study and Use Table of Contents • Brute Force (Reading POMS) Best Method?

  13. Google: ssa.gov - Other Authority • [POMS SSA] • [site:www.ssa.gov COLA 2009] • [site:www.ssa.gov “blue book”] • [site:www.ssa.gov “red book”] • [site:www.ssa.gov representation] • [site:www.ssa.gov “fee petition”] • [site:www.ssa.gov “hearing office” Los Angeles] • Forms, Applications, etc. • Emergency Messages, http://tinyurl.com/35y64r

  14. Google: Statutes • E.g., 42 U.S.C. §§ 416, 423, 1382, 1382c • Free Internet Sources • http://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/ssact/ • http://www.gpoaccess.gov/plaws/index.html • http://www.gpoaccess.gov/uscode/index.html • http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/ • http://uscode.house.gov/ • http://thomas.loc.gov/ • http://www.ssa.gov/legislation/

  15. Google: Statutes (cont.) • Google Searches • ssa.gov primarily cites to the Social Security Act, not to the U.S.C. • [ 42 USC 423], [Cornell “42 USC 423”], [FindLaw “Title 42” “Section 423”] • [site:www.ssa.gov compilation 205(g)] • [site:www.ssa.gov “united states code” “Title II”] • [28 USC 2412] – Equal Access to Justice Act

  16. Free Case Law • Fee-Based Case Law Still Necessary • www.westlaw.com; www.lexis.com • Supreme Court Opinions • Supreme Court, www.supremecourtus.gov • FindLaw, www.FindLaw.com • Justia, www.justia.com • Cornell, www.law.cornell.edu/supct/ (since 1991) • Google Searches • [FindLaw Bowen Yuckert], [Justia Bowen Yuckert]

  17. Free Case Law (cont.) • Appellate Court Web Sites • http://www.uscourts.gov/courtlinks/ • http://www.schnaufer.com/case.htm (links) • FindLaw, http://www.findlaw.com/casecode/ • Exact phrase, use quotation marks like Google • Boolean operators, e.g., AND • Also search FindLaw with Google • [FindLaw Crawford Gisbrecht] • [FindLaw “Ninth Circuit” credibility 96-7p] • [FindLaw “Ninth Circuit” “Social Security” Dodrill]

  18. Google: Fact Finding • Medical Providers • [“123 Main St” Anywhere, MO] • [“Richard T. Smith”] • [“Richard Smith” board-certified] • [rheumatologist “Century City”] • [847.570.2000], [(847) 570-2000] • Medical Facts and References • [define:lordosis], [ACR fibromyalgia] • [“Dr. Waddell” “waddell's sign”]

  19. Popular Web Sites & e-Mail List • Peter Young’s Social Security Advisory Service, http://www.ssas.com/ • 137 unskilled sedentary DOT occupations • Links, http://tinyurl.com/6ornmf • Charles Hall’s Social Security News blog, http://socsecnews.blogspot.com/ • David Traver’s SSA Connect, http://www.ssaconnect.com/ • Charles Martin’s e-mail list

  20. Searchable PDF Files • Two Types of PDF Files • Image only (see but can’t search) • Image-on-text (see and search) • Scan at 300 dpi or higher • Convert TIFF to PDF • Curiasoft, Acrobat Standard, Acrobat Pro • Optical Character Recognition (OCR) • Acrobat Standard or Acrobat Pro • Abby FineReader

  21. Using Searchable PDF Files • ALJ Decision (always scan upon receipt) • Search for source, exhibit, medical term, fact • Copy and paste into letters and briefs • Medical evidence • Search for source, medical term, fact • Copy and paste into letters and briefs • Hearing transcript • Search for witness, medical term, fact • Copy and paste into letters and briefs

  22. Finding Your Prior Work Product • Prior Work Product • Don’t reinvent the wheel • Letters, briefs, arguments, e-mail, notes • Outlook, Word, Word Perfect, PDF files • Indexing local hard drive • X1 • Google Desktop Search • Windows Search • “Paste Special” Command

More Related