The Ardmore-based attorneys of Silver & Silver have earned a strong reputation as authorities in several legal specialties, but what really sets them apart is this team’s professional approach to every case, which is backed by knowledge, compassion and decades of expertise in their respective areas of practice.
Mike Silver founded the firm in 1981 with the goal of helping everyday people who had been wronged receive the justice and compensation they deserve. His career in disability law began serendipitously. One day early in his career, a colleague happened to drop two such cases into Mike’s lap—both of which he won. It didn’t take long for Mike and his co-workers to figure out that he had quite a knack for this particular area of law.
In addition to his colleagues, Mike cites his father, who worked as an electrician at Philadelphia’s Navy Yard for 30 years, as one of the forces that have inspired him to work tirelessly to help working class Americans—“people like my parents,” he calls them—fight the system.
The firm has since grown to include other highly accomplished attorneys. Mike’s wife, Cindy Silver, joined the firm as a partner after having worked as legal counsel to an insurance company for a number of years. This experience not only provided her with unique insight into an industry well known for being fraught with complexities and nuances, but it also inspired her to pick up a new career where she could use her compassion and commitment to help others. Cindy, who earned her Juris Doctor from Villanova University, explains that while she enjoyed her job and saw her share of success, “I didn’t feel satisfied representing a corporation whose primary concern was the bottom line.”
Like Cindy, partner Lawrence J. Weinstein joined with the goal of utilizing his unique expertise to help others. Previously employed by the Social Security Administration, “Larry,” who also earned his J.D. from Villanova, is proud to say that the professionals of Silver & Silver are committed to being hands on. Larry points out that this is rare because so many firms are opening up that are more like “factories” than practices devoted to helping the individual. He says, “We are seeing a lot of cases from people that were previously represented by those firms, because we’re not a factory. We’re with you start to finish; we’re there every step of the way.”
Mike, who received his J.D. from Rutgers Law School, expresses a similar sentiment, saying, “We’re not just a mill, a machine; that’s not what we do. We take our clients’ cases very seriously and fight hard to secure just awards in cases where people are legitimately hurt. That’s why we have such a good reputation.”
The firm also has an excellent track record when it comes to developing long-lasting relationships with clients, a facet of their practice that Cindy describes as “very gratifying.”
“We treat people as family, and we do what’s right,” Mike says. “We still have people calling us who first used our firm 20 to 30 years ago.”
In addition to the three partners, associates Rita J. Bonner, a lawyer who developed her expertise representing individuals across the country who were seeking disability benefits, and Joseph (“Joe”) Schwartz, who limits his practice to employment, workers’ compensation and personal injury, complete the Silver & Silver “dream team” of legal professionals.
“We accomplish everything by teamwork,” says Larry. “Each of us has expertise different aspects of law, such as personal injury trials or disability claims, but we all work together. … We brainstorm a strategy and check in [with each other] on a daily.”
Mike explains that the firm’s multiple fields of expertise, honed through decades of casework, is more important to clients today than it has ever been, as shifts in the government’s approach to disability cases has recently taken a downturn. He says, “It used to be, up until two or three years ago, that a lawyer who understood the system had a 70 percent chance, nationally, of winning. Now, it’s not much more than half that.”
Luckily, for clients fighting to prove their disability claim, the legal team at Silver & Silver has a win rate far above most of its competition.
“When we go to court, we mean business,” Cindy says. “We thoroughly prepare each case, employ the most qualified experts and zealously represent our clients.”
Mike adds, “Judges know our philosophy. We’ll appeal to the highest levels of the court system necessary for our clients to achieve a fair outcome.”
The superior level of service provided by Silver & Silver is perhaps most apparent when one looks more closely at individual cases. For example, one client, who was the young plant manager of a large pharmaceutical company, suffered massive head trauma after being injured by a collapsed ceiling at his place of employment. The manager had a headache the next day, Mike explains, but it wasn’t until months later that the injured client and his husband realized he “wasn’t acting right.” His condition, very sadly, led to psychological problems, divorce and the loss of his ability to work. Yet, thanks to the hard work of his attorney, the man was able to get enough money through Social Security, Workers’ Compensation and private long-term disability, as well as a seven-figure result in his third-party lawsuit, to live comfortably after this life-changing event.
Joe, who received his J.D. from Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., spoke on a particularly emotional case where his client suffered horribly in the workplace at the hands of a cruel, sexually aggressive supervisor. The woman endured mental anguish and extreme weight loss; she also received threatening and “demented” notes from the supervisor. Yet, the victim could not leave her job because her husband had recently been laid off by his employer. “She was being terrorized,” Joe says, “even after she quit.”
Fortunately, thanks to the exceptional resources available to Silver & Silver clients, the woman was able to provide a video testimonial, filmed in her own home, which led to the ultimate resolution of the case—and, most importantly, justice for the client.
Cases such as these exemplify only a fraction of the victories earned by Silver & Silver. Mike sums up the firm’s philosophy, which undoubtedly drives its success, by saying, “We feel very lucky that we are in a situation where we can use our education, resources, and collective strength to help so many unfortunate individuals improve their lives.”
The Disability and Personal Injury Law Firm of Silver & Silver
42 W. Lancaster Ave.
Ardmore, PA 19003
610-658-1900 | 800-94-SILVER
www.silverandsilver.com
Photograph by Allure West Studios
