SUSAN M. O’MALLEY

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Biography:

Ms. O’Malley went to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She graduated Cum Laude. She attended law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is licensed to practice in the following courts: the state of North Carolina; Federal District Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina; Federal District Court in the Middle District of North Carolina; the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals; and the District of Columbia. She started her practice with the predecessor to this firm as an associate in 1995, becoming a partner in 1998.

Ms. O’Malley is a North Carolina State Bar Certified Specialist in Social Security Disability Law. She was an original board member of the specialization committee.

Ms. O’Malley has appealed and won cases Social Security disability cases in Federal District such as Joyner v. Barnhart. She won Hines v. Barnhart in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. This case reaffirmed important rights for Social Security claimants to prove their disability through testimony regarding how pain limits their ability to work. She also won Willey v. Williamson Produce, a workers’ compensation case, before the North Carolina Supreme Court.

Ms. O’Malley is a member of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice. She is actively involved in their Disability Advocacy Section. She has served as education chair; vice chair and chair of the Disability Advocacy Section. She continues to participate in their education programs. She is a member of the American Association for Justice. She has served as the chair of their Disability Law Section. She is also a member of the National Organization of Social Security Claimant’s Representatives.

She has been a speaker at Social Security Seminars in North Carolina and around the United States.

Education

University of North Carolina School of Law, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- J.D. – 1994
- Honors: Holderness Moot Court Invitational Team – 1993 – 1994
- Honors: Dean’s List, Academic Years – 1992 – 1993, 1993 – 1994
- Honors: Student Bar Association, Secretary
- Honors: Student Bar Association, Treasurer
- Honors: Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity, Chapter Clerk
University of North Carolina, Charlotte
- B.S. – 1990
- Honors: cum laude
- Honors: Phi Kappa Phi Honor Fraternity
- Honors: Alpha Phi Sigma, Criminal Justice Honor Society
- Honors: Phi Eta Sigma Honor Fraternity
- Minor: Criminal Justice Administration

Bar Admission

North Carolina, 1994
District of Columbia, 1996
U.S. District Court Eastern District of North Carolina, 1998
U.S. District Court Middle District of North Carolina, 2010
U.S. District Court Western District of North Carolina, 1998
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of California
U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit

Published Works

Appended Motion Requesting the “Struck Jury” System in Voir Dire in The Article by David Ball, Tips & Strategies, The “Struck System” of Jury Selection, North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, February 3, 1997
Daubert versus Social Security’s Medical Expert, ATLA Social Security Disability Law Section Newsletter, Vol. IV, Number 1 Fall, 2000
Effective Interaction With The Government: How to Get Results With Minimal Delays, NCATL Social Security Law Seminar, 1996
Jimmie R. Keel and Susan M. O’Malley, Use of Lay Testimony to Prove Disability in Pain Cases, NCATL Social Security Law Seminar, 1995

Representative Cases

Joyner v. Barnhart, Federal District Court
Hines v. Barnhart, 4th Circuit Court of Appeals
Willey v. Williamson Produce, North Carolina Supreme Court

Classes & Seminars

Speaker, NCATL Social Security Disability Law Seminar, Cary, North Carolina, 2007 to Present
Panelist, NOSSCR Seminar, Baltimore, Maryland, 2007 to Present
Speaker, NCATL Social Security Disability Law Seminar, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, December 2006, Present
Speaker, NCATL Social Security Disability Law Seminar, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, March 2006, 2006 to Present
Speaker, North Carolina Bar Association Social Security Law Seminar, Cary, North Carolina, 2004 to Present
Panelist, ATLA Social Security Disability Law Seminar, Boston, Mass, 2004 to Present
Speaker, Wake Forest University School of Law General Practice Symposium Raleigh, North Carolina, 2003 to Present
Moderator, ATLA Social Security Disability Law Seminar, Atlanta, Georgia, 2002 to Present
Speaker, ATLA Social Security Disability Law Seminar, Chicago, Illinois, 2000 to Present
Panelist, ATLA Social Security Disability Law Seminar, San Francisco, California, 1999 to Present
Speaker, NCATL Social Security Law Seminar, Greensboro, North Carolina, 1996 to Present
Co-Chair, NCAJ’s Social Security; A Primer for a New Decade, Fayetteville, NC, 2011
Speaker, AAJ’s Social Security Success! Seminar, Las Vegas, NV, 2010, 2008
Panelist, NOSSCR Seminar, Baltimore, MD, 2007
Speaker, Wake Forest University School of Law General Practice Symposium, Raleigh, NC, 2004

Professional Associations

North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, Disability Advocacy Section, Member
American Association for Justice, Disability Law Section, Member
National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives, Member
North Carolina Advocates for Justice, Member
North Carolina Bar Association
North Carolina State Bar, Board Member, Social Security Specialization Committee, 2006 to 2009
North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, Board of Governors, 2004 to 2007
North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, Disability Advocacy Section, Past Chair, 2003 to 2005
North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, Disability Advocacy Section, Chair, 2002 to 2003
North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, Disability Advocacy Section, Vice Chair, 1998 to 2000
North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers, Disability Advocacy Section, Education Chair, 1998 to 2000
American Association for Justice, Social Security Disability Law Section, Chair, 2001 to 2002
American Association for Justice, Social Security Disability Law Section, Chair Elect, 2000 to 2001
American Association for Justice, Security Disability Law Section, Newsletter Editor, 1999 to 2000
American Association for Justice, Member

Certified Legal Specialties

Social Security Disability Law, North Carolina Bar, 2006

Current Employment Position

Partner, 1998