
Did Social Security Send Someone to Spy on You?
The Social Security Administration hires state police to investigate some people who apply for disability benefits. That doesn’t happen in every case—anecdotally, we only see…
Read MoreScott Sell was born in Minnesota in 1980. Early in his life, Scott worked in the building trades and as a foundryman at a production bronze foundry.
Scott attended Marlboro College in Marlboro, Vermont with a scholarship for the study of social justice. During his undergraduate career, he designed classes in creative writing for incarcerated people and taught inmates at a nearby correctional institution.
Between college and law school, Scott worked as an English language teacher in Istanbul, Turkey; as case manager for adults with mental illness in Vermont and Massachusetts; and as a Benefits Advocate at Central City Concern in Portland, Oregon. While working as Benefits Advocate, Scott exclusively represented homeless clients applying for social security benefits.
Scott attended Willamette College of Law in Salem, Oregon with a Law Merit scholarship. During law school, Scott worked in the social security section of Thomas, Coon, Newton & Frost. He also represented the state in community court proceedings as a clerk for the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office. Scott graduated law school Magna Cum Laude.
Before returning to Thomas, Coon, Newton & Frost, Scott served as the Senior Clerk for the Honorable James C. Egan at the Oregon Court of Appeals.
Scott lives with his wife and son in Southeast Portland. He is a committed bicycle commuter.
Practice area focus:
Social Security disability benefits, both SSD and SSI, from initial application through federal court appeals.
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