A Shearman & Sterling pro bono team recently helped a client obtain Social Security benefits, in a matter referred to the firm by Legal Aid. Two New York-based summer associates, Andrew Lipson and Marina Moon, helped the client, a 29-year-old woman with multiple mental disorders, qualify for Social Security payments on appeal.

The woman, whose mental condition and extremely low IQ make daily activities challenging, recently became a US citizen, but she was initially denied Social Security benefits when she applied for them. To help her with her appeal, the Shearman & Sterling team spent nearly three weeks compiling the client’s medical records and extracting the necessary information for an opening statement letter to the judge in the appeal.

After a short hearing on June 11, the judge ruled from the bench that the client did in fact meet the criteria to qualify as legally disabled, and eligible for a Social Security payment of $700 per month.

In addition to Lipson and Moon, the team included associates Stacey Doynow (New York-M&A) and Rodrick Shepard (New York-M&A), with partner William Roll (New York-Litigation).