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ROBERT HICKS is a legal assistant and the Business
Manager. He assists the attorneys
on research and case development, as well as computer hardware and
software management. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Harvard
University in 1971 and has been working in the legal field for 14 years. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Southwest Florida
Symphony Orchestra and works with other charitable organizations. |
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C. ROBERT LINNE, Ph.D. is a legal assistant supporting the attorneys with Personal
Injury, Disability, Veterans and Long Term Disability appeals. He studied at Harvard University Divinity School from 1967-1970 and Northwestern University where he received his Ph.D. He also received an M.A. degree from Michigan State. He was an Assistant Professor at Florida State University from 1976 to 1980 and an instructor at Edison College from 1981-2002. Prior to working at Avard Law Offices in 1999, he also worked with at-risk youth and their families in therapeutic foster case and was a Program Director of a network of services provided to these families. In addition he was a therapist at Lee Mental Health. |
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RITA TAULBEE worked from 1979-2002 for the Social Security Administration. She was an Analyst in the Central Office, SSA Headquarters, Baltimore, MD and she worked on modernizing the SSA’s Operating Systems Manuals. In addition, she was a Claims Representative in the SSA Fort Myers District Office. |
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BARBARA ROIG is an Office Manager and has 12 years experience assisting the attorneys in the processing and filing of Personal Injury and Disability claims from
the initial through the appellate
levels. She works extensively in maintaining the Personal Injury court pleadings and with the Social Security Administration Headquarters staff in Baltimore completing our clients claims. |
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MARY-JO STRONG has 28 years of experience working for the Social Security Administration. She specialized in the development and
adjudication of claims Retirement, Survivor and Disability benefits in the
Fort Myers Social Security office.
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WILLIAM D. BELANGER has 33 years experience
working for the SSA, including
17 years in the Office of the Chief
Administrative Law Judge and
5 years as a Senior Analyst with
the Appeals Council. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree
from Indiana University. In
addition to his extensive experience
in the SSA appeals process, he also has 11 years experience in the
Chicago and Fort Myers SSA district offices. He is a staff consultant with Avard Law Offices, P.A. |
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DINA FANORA has worked in the legal field since 1992,
handling Personal Injury, Insurance, Real Estate, Mortgages, and Medical Records Development on Disability cases. She attended Nassau Community College, Uniondale, NY, where she studied Child Development. |
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RITA MCQUADE has assisted the attorneys handling Social Security Disability and Personal Injury since 1994. She received her Associate’s degree from Fisher Junior College, Boston, MA and worked as a Clerical Librarian in a municipal library and later as an Administrative Assistant in HUD Housing for the Elderly for a period of 20 years. She is actively involved with community volunteer work with the American Cancer Society and the Southwest Florida Symphony. |
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ROSA SANJURJO is a bilingual paralegal and assists both Spanish and English speaking clients on Disability and Personal Injury cases. She has extensive Personal Injury and litigation experience, working in the Personal Injury field since 1974. |
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KAREN PLUM-HERRING has 31 years experience working in the Hearing Offices (Office of Disability Adjudication and Review) for Social Security in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Fargo, North Dakota. She was responsible for writing decisions for the Administrative Law Judges. |
