Overconfidence in one's case can can cause a strong Social Security disability case to lose. I have heard many times from individuals that they did not need a lawyer or to learn what they have to prove to win since they were clearly disabled. Many times the individuals are correct that they are clearly disabled due to their medical conditions however, because of overconfidence they relied on Social Security to get the medical evidence and make the case for them. Many times these individuals become very disappointed when they get an unfavorable decision. You need to take it upon yourself or get a lawyer to make sure all of the relevant medical evidence is in your file. Social Security will tell you they will get all your records and many people accept this and do nothing for their case. In most cases, Social Security will send for your medical records but that does not mean they will get them in a timely fashion or make the kind of effort you would make to make sure they are part of your file. Social Security will also almost never request a report or residual functional capacity form from your treating doctor. Opinion evidence is extremely important in a Social Security disability case. A doctor's opinion letter or RFC will show what your limitations are from your medical condition. If you leave everything up to so security your records may or may not be in the file and the only opinion evidence will probably be from a Social Security consultative examiner and not from your treating doctor. I have seen many cases that I've taken over where clients lost previously even though they should have won but there was either medical records missing from the file or there was no opinion evidence from a treating doctor. There are certainly cases that are so strong that an attorney is not required for you to win, however even in these very strong cases it is extremely important for the individual to stay involved in their case to make sure all the evidence that proves they are disabled is in there social security file. It has been my experience that most cases that are extremely strong will win their Social Security disability benefits at some point but overconfidence in your claim can often lead to months if not years of delay in getting those benefits you deserve and need.