Attorney Profile

Meet Downers Grove Social Security Attorney Mary L. Collins

Mary L. Collins is not your typical lawyer. She has a long history of helping society’s most vulnerable communities, and for over 30 years, she has sought to improve the quality of life for disabled individuals. She genuinely cares for her clients and seeks to know them on a personal level. Along with her friendly law firm staff, Downers Grove disability lawyer Mary L. Collins represents disabled adults and children in appealing denials of government benefits.

She helps families apply for SSI when their disabled child turns 18. She meets with parents to discuss not only planning for disabled children but to make sure they have an appropriate device to give what they worked for to their children, friends, or family.

Ms. Collins began her career in Legal Services in 1980, representing low-income persons in civil matters. In 1987, Ms. Collins moved to Illinois with her family. She opened her law practice in Downers Grove, serving all of Chicago’s western suburbs and the counties of DuPage, Cook, Kendall, Kane and Will.

Ms. Collins feels that there are many people who need advice, information and representation in obtaining Social Security Disability/SSI benefits. There are families struggling to make sure their disabled children receive the appropriate services while they are young but they fail to understand how actions while your child is under 18 years old may affect their eligibility for benefits later on in life. Sometimes a properly drafted will or trust means the difference in making sure your loved ones are cared for in the manner you had hoped. This is where she feels she can make a difference.

These are the areas of law in which she can help the most people in need. She understands that Social Security laws and regulations are confusing and complicated. Many people give up valid claims because they are overwhelmed by the system, or feel as though there is no hope after their claims are rejected. She knows this does not have to be the case.

Ms. Collins is a member of the National Organization of Social Security Representatives. She has represented claimants from the application for benefits through the hearing stage. Whether you apply or appeal on your own you can always enlist the assistance of an attorney.

Parents need information as their child graduates high school or enters a Transition Program under the Special Education law. If you have a child with special needs, she also represents families filing child disability claims and works to set up the child’s finances through a special needs trust so that he or she can receive money or income without losing eligibility for benefits.

Ms. Collins also works as a Downers Grove estate planning attorney, representing clients in need of wills, living wills and revocable living trusts. Contact her today to set up a consultation. If you cannot make it to her office due to physical limitations or health issues, she will do her best to accommodate you.

Bar Admissions and Education
• Admitted to the Wisconsin Bar in 1980
• Admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1987
• University of Wisconsin-Madison, B.A.
• Marquette University, J.D.

Memberships and Committees
• National Organization of Social Security Representatives (NOSSCR)
o Sustaining Member
• DuPage County Bar Association
o Member
o Past Chair and Past Vice-Chair of Elder Law Committee