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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The Social Security Administration has many decisions writers. They can be either paralegals or attorneys, but they are paid the same and have the same duties. The Administrative Law Judges hold hearings. The writer creates a decision for the judge to review and sign based on his writing instructions. The judges must produce many decisions and can’t write each one themselves. The writers are often in a pool and have no clerk-like relationship to the judge. They write for all the judges in an office or even random judges from across the country. The job involves lots of boiler plate writing, summarizing medical records, and needing to do all of that in a limited amount of time. I[b]f you’re not a 95 percent DWPI at SSA, you might be let go and that could mean being only a decision or two off for a month.[/b] Still, there is three to four days of telework a week, flexible hours, federal benefits, and low stress compared to other attorney jobs. Other agencies have decision writers, but they may be treated differently.

Below is a link to the ALJ discussion forum on decision writers. 
http://aljdiscussion.proboards.com/thread/4455/attorney-advisors-decision-writers
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Thanks!  What is the production requirement per month in general?  For example, how many decisions a writer has to write each month? and how long/complicated is a decision in general?[/quote]

Most of the SSA attorney positions in the DC area are for the appellate, not decision writer level. Instead of being provided instructions to follow by an ALJ, Appeals Council attorneys review ALJ decisions first and then make a recommendation to appellate adjudicators. So you’re not just being told what to do. It’s not the most glamorous area of law, but it is highly technical and new issues are coming up all the time, plus it is nice when you get to help claimants (whether getting someone who is disabled paid or fixing a due process issue). Because our HQ is here, there are more promotional opportunities than decision writers at the hearing level. There are also opportunities for detail assignments, to take on a mentor/leadership role, or to move into management (or possibly become an Appeals Judge someday although it’s highly competitive).

Production is of course important, but the workload is manageable if you know how to manage your time. With telework and flex band, it’s great for work life balance. The work is very independent so you have a lot of control over your schedule.

A PP mentioned that paralegals and attorneys are on the same pay scale, but they haven’t hired non-attorneys in close to a decade for these positions and the attorneys have more room for career growth.

The downsides are that the work is very niche and doesn’t translate well to other agencies. It can also be isolating unless you make the effort to join work groups, socialize while in the office, etc.

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