Most people are familiar with the story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” Hidden in that story is a lesson about picking a lawyer – find one that is “just right.”

In the classic nursery rhyme, a young girl named Goldilocks enters the home of Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear while they are out. She sits down to rest until the home’s occupants return, but the chair is too small. The next chair she tries is too big. But the final chair she sits in is just right. She smells something delicious, and notices there are three bowls of porridge on the table. Goldilocks finds one too hot, one too cold, but one just right, so she eats it. She then grows so tired she must lay down for a nap. One bed is too hard, the next too soft, but the third is just right. When the bears return they either eat her, chase her off, or help her find her way home, depending on how much your parents want to scare you that day.

Goldilocks obviously makes some questionable life choices, but one thing she does well is persistently search for things that fit her needs. She doesn’t settle. People who are looking for an attorney to help with an application for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) should take a page out of Goldilocks’ book and start being a bit more particular about what sort of attorney they will work with.

An attorney that is just right for an SSDI or SSI application is one that specializes in doing them. Just like doctors have specializations, so do attorneys. You wouldn’t ask your family practitioner to do brain surgery, so why would you agree to let an attorney who is unfamiliar with the SSDI or SSI laws handle your application? Put your trust in someone who has handled a hundred cases like yours before.

Speaking of trust, don’t work with an attorney that you don’t trust. You are putting your well-being into the hands of the attorney you hire by empowering them to act on your behalf. If you get a gut feeling that the attorney you are considering working with is going to do a bad job, you are probably right. Getting a law degree does not make you a good or trustworthy person.

Finally, don’t be afraid to act like Goldilocks and try out a bunch of attorneys before settling on one that is just right. Most, if not all, attorneys will meet with you for free one time to review your case and determine if it is one they feel like they can help you with. You should treat these initial consultations like a job interview, and search for the attorney you think will do the best job working for you.

Follow these tips and you will find an attorney that is “just right.”