COURTNEY LEMLEY • Disability Benefits Attorney
Cotact Information
Courtney@JanDils.com
1.877.VETERAN (877.838.3726)
Professional Background
Education: West Virginia Wesleyan (B.A., 2006, English Literature and Political Science), University of Dayton School of Law (J.D., 2011)
Member: West Virginia Bar Association, Ohio State Bar Association
Bar Admissions: West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia
Profile
When it comes to helping her clients, Courtney Lemley is not a 9 to 5 person.
"I am personally invested in my clients," says Courtney, who practices disability benefits law with the Jan Dils Law Firm. "My clients’ need for their disability benefits doesn’t stop at the end of a work day, and neither do I."
This same drive for results propelled Courtney Lemley to earn her law degree from the University of Dayton School of Law. While it takes most law students three years to graduate, Courtney did it in two years by following an accelerated advocacy track that prepared her for arguing clients’ cases in writing and in the courtroom.
She still found time in law school to serve as a Class President and Honor Council member, win the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Family Law and participate in several litigation exercises focused on appellate advocacy and medical malpractice cases.
"At first, I wanted to go to medical school, but two months after I started college, I realized that I had a passion for the law and started to prepare myself for that career," says Courtney, a Parkersburg native who earned her undergraduate degree from West Virginia Wesleyan in English Literature and Political Science. "Then, in law school, I decided early on that I was interested in litigation."
While in law school, Courtney combined her medical and legal interests by interning with a plaintiff’s medical malpractice firm in Ohio. That experience allowed her to make a seamless transition to helping clients secure disability benefits as a member of the Jan Dils legal team.
"Our evidence is predominantly medical records," Courtney says. "I can get through them quicker, and I can pinpoint what administrative law judges need to know when making decisions on claims."
According to Courtney, "preparation is the key to winning." She develops each case by combing through the client’s medical records and conducting extensive legal research.
Communication and interaction with clients also plays an important role, she says.
'I don’t think you can represent clients without meeting them,' she says. "When you can put a face to the records, it pushes you to work that much harder for them. It gives you that extra drive."
She’s convinced that people seeking disability benefits should never try to go it alone.
"An attorney knows the system – what you can and can’t do – and an attorney will know what evidence is relevant for your claim," she says. "Your attorney can guide your claim through the system and present it to a judge without it getting bogged down by evidence that is irrelevant."
As a disability benefits lawyer, Courtney Lemley says she can also serve as a source of hope.
"Even if a claim is denied, we can appeal and keep pushing to get your claim approved," she says. "No matter what type of case it is, we’ll always work hard for you."
When she isn’t practicing law, Courtney enjoys reading and cooking.
