Social Security Practice
A History of Personal, Professional Representation
DDMG has been representing disabled individuals for over 40 years! Today’s Social Security disability practice has three attorneys, Amy Gilbrough, Leanne Martinez, and Rebecca Miller, who fight to help people obtain their disability benefits at all levels - all the way up to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Together they have a cumulative 50 years of experience! Amy, Leanne, and Rebecca understand that their clients are not just names and numbers. They are real individuals with their own stories and unique needs. They also understand the importance of collaborating not only with each other, but with their caring and knowledgeable staff. Together the team helps guide you through the often cumbersome and confusing process of applying for and appealing denials of Social Security disability benefits. Since DDMG is located in Seattle, the bulk of the cases they handle are from the greater Seattle area, but they attend hearings in Seattle, Tacoma, Bellingham, Yakima, Spokane, Portland and sometimes other states depending on their clients’ needs.
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Social Security Attorneys
AMY GILBROUGH
Education
Lewis and Clark Law School
Juris Doctor
Seattle University
Bachelor of Arts
Activities & Affiliations
Amy Gilbrough has been practicing Social Security law since 1997, first at the Social Security Administration’s Office of Disability Adjudication and Review as a decision writer, then at the Office of General Counsel. She moved to private practice in 2003, dividing her time between administrative and federal court cases in the Western District of Washington and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She has spoken on Social Security law and practice for the King County Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the National Business Institute, and the Circuit 9 Conference.
Amy is a long-standing member of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives and an annual contributor to the Circuit 9 Conference.
When Amy is not working, she is on the slopes, riding her bike, or in her garden.
Bar Admissions
State of Washington, U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of WA, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
J. LEANNE MARTINEZ
Education
Seattle University School of Law Juris Doctor
San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, Bachelor of Arts
Activities & Affiliations
Leanne has always had a passion for helping others and advocating for the vulnerable and marginalized people within our community. Before attending law school, she worked for a fair housing non-profit in the San Francisco Bay Area. While in law school, she was immediately drawn to the the non-profit organization, Benefits Law Center where she volunteered to help low income and homeless clients through the social security process in situations where they would have difficulty finding traditional representation. After law school, she worked at one other disability law firm before finding her perfect match with the team at DDMG. After nearly ten years of this work and hundreds of cases, Leanne continues to be inspired by her clients every single day and to absolutely love her job.
Bar Admissions
State of Washington, U.S. District Court for the Western Districts of WA, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
REBECCA MILLER
Education
George Mason School of Law
Juris Doctor
Virginia Polytechnic and State University
Bachelors of Arts and Science
Activities & Affiliations
Rebecca has handled thousands of cases before the Social Security Administration. She has also worked in Congress as an animal rights advocate for the Humane Society of the United States Federal Regulatory Affairs Division and practiced business law in Colorado before moving to Washington. Rebecca was a certified social worker in Colorado and Oregon and has over 100 hours of training in de-escalation, trauma informed practice, and alternate dispute resolution.
Rebecca has over 20 years of experience doing animal rescue work and continues to do that in her down time. She also loves reading, playing softball, and spending time with her spouse, children, and her two dogs.
Bar Admissions
State of Washington; State of Colorado (inactive); Western District of Washington
Labor Practice
Protecting Union and Worker Rights
Today’s Labor practice has two attorneys, Jacob Metzger and Amy Bowles, who fight to protect union and worker rights. Jacob and Amy are passionate about what they do and have expertise in almost every area of labor law and labor relations. They both bring a unique perspective to this practice as former union representatives in the Pacific Northwest and Amy, as former Acting Executive Director of an almost 9,000 member public sector union. They know that unions are looking for attorneys who can effectively and compassionately advocate for the union and their members in all types of forums, advise the union on a wide range of issues, and help the union navigate its role as an employer. They primarily represent labor unions in the Pacific Northwest, including Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska.
JACOB METZGER
Education
Hamline University School of Law, Juris Doctor, Magna Cum Laude
Fairhaven College, Bachelor of Arts
Activities and Affiliations
Jacob Metzger represents public and private sector labor unions in arbitrations, before the National Labor Relations Board, the Public Employment Relations Commission, and in State and Federal Court. Prior to joining DDMG, Jacob worked for a public-sector labor union representing King County and City of Seattle employees and serving as Co-Chair of the King County Coalition of Unions. Prior to his labor practice, Jacob served as a Law Clerk on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Jacob served on the WSBA Labor and Employment Law Section Executive Committee.
Jacob was born near Homer, Alaska and raised in Port Townsend, Washington. He enjoys skiing, cooking, eating, hip-hop, and arguing with family and friends.
AMY BOWLES
Education
American University Washington College of Law, Juris Doctor
Washington State University, Bachelor of Arts Political Science, Bachelor of Arts Spanish
Activities and Affiliations
Amy Bowles (she/her) has been practicing law for over 20 years. After graduating from law school, she moved home to the Pacific Northwest and began her career as a public defender. For ten years, Amy represented hundreds of low-income adult and juvenile clients in Pierce County and King County on criminal misdemeanor and felony cases. In 2013 she joined a Pacific Northwest public sector labor organization as a union representative. She represented employees at the City of Portland and City of Seattle, was Co-Chair of the Coalition of City of Seattle unions, and in 2018 was the Acting Executive Director for the 9,000-member labor organization. Amy joined DDMG in 2019.
Amy loves cheering on the Seattle Sounders, hiking and doing yoga.