About Leventhal Sutton & Gornstein

Leventhal Sutton & Gornstein attorneys have a well-deserved reputation for excellence in the field of Social Security/SSI Disability law. All are "AV" rated by Martindale-Hubbell, a rating which is given only to lawyers who have "very high to preeminent legal ability" and the highest ethical standards.

One of our attorneys was elected president of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives in 2004, and has been asked to testify before congressional committees regarding changes in Social Security law. Our attorneys are regularly asked to be course planners and faculty for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, and have presented seminars on disability law throughout the United States.

Because of our years of successful work in disability law, doctors refer their patients to us, other lawyers refer their clients to us, and former clients refer their friends and family members to us for help in dealing with Social Security. We are proud of the reputation we have built over many years of service to our clients. We bring our expertise to bear right from the beginning of your case, helping to complete the lengthy paperwork necessary to file your application and working with the adjudicators who make the first decision on your claim.

If you are approved, we make certain that you obtain all the benefits you are entitled to receive. If your application is denied, we file the appeal and work with your doctors to obtain the evidence necessary to overturn the denial. We represent you at a hearing before an administrative law judge, where we present your testimony and cross-examine any vocational expert or medical expert who may testify for Social Security. If your case is denied again, we have the experience necessary to appeal further, all the way to the federal courts if necessary.

Our attorneys have represented many thousands of people before Social Security, and have litigated more than500 cases in the federal courts. We obviously cannot win every case, but we are well known for our success in appeals, and have taken great pride in winning cases which other lawyers have given up as hopeless after multiple denials. We are tenacious, and we fight for the benefits you are entitled to receive under the law.

Partners

Jess Leventhal, (Member) born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 20, 1951; admitted to bar, 1976, Pennsylvania; 1977, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania; 1979, U.S. Tax Court; 1984, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit; 1992, U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals. Education: Whittier College (B.S., 1973); Dickinson School of Law (J.D., 1976); Temple University (LL.M., Taxation, 1980). Law Clerk, Commonwealth Court, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1976-1977. Member: Philadelphia, Bucks County, Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations; National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives. Practice Areas: Social Security Disability; Supplemental Security Income Disability; Medicare and Medicaid; Estate Planning; Wills; Trust Law.

Thomas D. Sutton, (Member) born Springdale, Arkansas, December 24, 1955; admitted to bar, 1984, Georgia; 1987, Pennsylvania; 1988, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit; 1989, U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Education: Haverford College (B.A., 1978); University of Pennsylvania (J.D., 1984). Staff Attorney, Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia, 1984-1987. Supervising Attorney, Community Legal Services, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1987-1994. Board of Directors, National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives. Reported Cases: Sullivan v. Zebley, 493 U.S. 521 (1990); Rosetti v. Shalala, 12 F.3d 1216 (3d Cir. 1993); Petition of Sullivan, 904 F.2d 826 (3d Cir. 1990); Mac v. Sullivan, 811 F.Supp. 194 (E.D. Pa. 1993); Mendez v. Sullivan, 792 F. Supp. 375 (E.D. Pa. 1992); Johnson v. Sullivan, 749 F.Supp. 684 (E.D. Pa. 1990); Cintron v. Bowen, 686 F.Supp. 522 (E.D. Pa. 1988). Practice Areas: Social Security Disability; Supplemental Security Income Disability; Labor and Employment.

Sharon Gornstein, (Member) born Saint Louis, Missouri, December 3, 1953; admitted to bar, 1984, Pennsylvania; 1985, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania; 1997, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit. Education: University of Missouri (B.S.B.A., 1975); University of Pennsylvania (J.D., 1984). Law Clerk to the Honorable Jerome B. Simandle, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 1984-1985. Staff Attorney, Community Legal Services, Philadelphia, 1985-1996. Member: Philadelphia Bar Association; National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives. Practice Areas: Social Security Disability; Supplemental Security Income Disability; Employment Discrimination; Family and Medical Leave Act.

Associates

James Valentin, (Associate) admitted to bar, 1998, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Education: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (B.S., 1983); Central Michigan University (M.S.A., 1987); Temple University (J.D., 1997). Member: Pennsylvania and New Jersey State Bar Associations; National Organization of Veterans Advocates; National Organization of Social Security Representatives. [CMSGT (E-9), U.S.A.F., 1968-1993]. Languages: Spanish. Practice Areas: Veterans Disability Law; Social Security Disability; Wills; Estates.

Jason L. Thompson, (Associate) born Cleveland, Ohio, July 4, 1971; admitted to bar, 2002, Ohio; 2005, Pennsylvania. Education: Oberlin College (B.A., 1993); Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (J.D., 2002). Practice Areas: Social Security Disability.

Thomas L. Berger, (Associate) born Newark, Ohio, December 14, 1945; admitted to bar, 1993, New Jersey; 1994, Pennsylvania. Education: Wilmington College (B.A., 1968); Rutgers University Law School, Camden (J.D., 1968). Practice Areas: Social Security Disability.