Legal Question in Social Security Law in California

You will need an undergraduate degree to qualify for law school. Then you need to be accepted at a law school, complete a three year curriculum, and pass the bar to be licensed in at least one state. How hard it is depends on too many factors to name.

Once you are a licensed lawyer, you can find a job working for a law firm that does Social Security disability law, or you might find a Legal Aid or other non profit environment where you can handle those cases. How much you make will depend upon a lot of factors. Starting salaries for brand new lawyers in Texas are typically in the $45K to $60K range. But it can be hard to find a job, and even harder to find a job doing the kind of law you would like to practice.

You could always go out on your own, but the "lag time" to be paid for your work can range from a few months to two or more years, depending on how long it will take to win the case. And you would want to get some serious training, maybe through a clinical program while you are in law school, before you start taking on the responsibility of representing SS disability claimants.

It is very rewarding work and if you do it long enough and learn some good business skills along the way, you can definitely make a good living doing it. However, it is not considered a "high end" area of law practice like corporate law in a large law firm, etc.

Good luck. And remember that there are lots of other ways to work with the disabled while you are trying to become a lawyer, or as an alternative if you decide the law is not for you.