Christopher Godios was born and raised in Hamburg, New York.  He attended Allegheny College in Meadville, PA where he received a Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Science.  In 2003, Chris moved to Akron, Ohio in order to attend law school at the University of Akron.  During law school, Chris worked as an intern at the Ninth District Court of Appeals, the Summit County Court of Common Pleas, and as a law clerk at Sternberg, Newman and Shifrin Inc (now Smith Godios Sorensen Inc.).  In May 2006, Chris graduated from the University of Akron Law School, Magna Cum Laude.

In 2006, after passing the bar examination, Chris was hired as an attorney at our firm.  Since then, Chris has successfully represented over a  thousand disabled individuals at their Social Security Hearings, the Appeals Council, and in Federal District Court.  In the past, Chris also worked as a part-time legal writing instructor at the University of Akron School of Law.

In 2007, Chris began representing military veterans before the Department of Veterans Affairs at the VA Regional Office and at the Board of Veteran’s Appeals.  Chris has given speeches on various Social Security and Veterans Disability related topics to a number of organizations in the Akron, Ohio area- including at the Akron Bar Association, Summit County Traumatic Brain Injury Collaborative, Coleman Behavioral Health, and at Community Support Services.  In 2012, Chris became a partner at Smith Godios Sorensen Inc.– at the time Shifrin Newman Smith, Inc.

Chris is a VA accredited attorney and he is also admitted to the Ohio Bar, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, The United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.  Chris is a member of NOSSCR (National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives) and NOVA (National Organization of Veterans Advocates).  In addition to working in the field of disability, Chris also practices in areas of personal injury, foreclosure defense, and various other civil matters. Chris lives in Fairlawn with his wife and two dogs. He volunteers at Stewart’s Caring Place giving pro bono legal advice to cancer patients, and he also serves on the Board of Directors for Family Promise of Summit County- a non-profit agency that provides assistance to homeless families.

Bar Admissions

• Ohio
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio
• U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

Education

• University of Akron School of Law, Akron, Ohio
  • Honors: magna cum laude
• Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania
  • Bachelors of Arts
  • Major: Political Science

Professional Associations and Memberships

• National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives, Member
• National Organization of Veterans Advocates, Member

Scott Smith was hired by Sternberg Newman and Associates (now known as Smith Godios Sorensen Inc) in 1997. In 2003, he made partner and the firm incorporated under the name Sternberg, Newman, Shifrin and Associates.  In 2009, partly due to Scott’s reputation as an accomplished advocate for the disabled, our firm name changed to Shifrin Newman Smith Inc.  Scott became president of  the firm in 2019 and our firm’s name changed to Smith Godios Sorensen Inc.

He is a University of Akron Law School graduate and has been admitted to practice law before the Supreme Court of Ohio and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Scott was granted a fellowship by the Akron Bar Association and the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR) where he sat as a member of the board representing the Sixth Circuit for close to a decade. He is a member of the Investigative Subcommittee and serves on the Fee Dispute Panel for the Akron Bar Association. He has been named to the Advisory Board of Rockynol Retirement Center. He is a member of St. Hilary Catholic Church and is active in his children’s school activities. Recently, Scott started serving on the Board of Directors at a local mental health treatment facility named Carve Your Own Path.

Bar Admissions

• Ohio
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio

Education

• University of Akron School of Law, Akron, Ohio
  • J.D. – 1998
  • Honors: CALI Award for Civil Procedure, Highest Grade in the Class
• Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
  • B.S. – 1994

Honors and Awards

• Fellow, Akron Bar Association foundation

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Summit County Trial Lawyers Association
• National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives
• Akron Bar Association, Fee Dispute Panel, Member, Investigative Subcommittee

Presentations

• Don’t Be Roadkill: How to avoid getting runover by an ALJ, NOSSCR Conference, Atlanta GA | April 26, 2018
• How To Deal with Problem Clients, NOSSCR Conference, Atlanta GA | April 26, 2018
• Submission of Evidence II, NOSSCR Conference, Phoenix, AZ | September 14, 2017
• Submission of Evidence, NOSSCR Conference, Washington DC | June 6, 2017
• Case Selection and Initial Client Contact, NOSSCR Conference, Miami, FL | June 3, 2016
• Hearing Preparation, NOSSCR Conference, Denver, CO | October 30, 2015
• Social Security Disability, Akron Bar Association Workers Compensation Section, Las Vegas, NV | May 15, 2015
• Fibromyalgia and Seizures, NOSSCR Conference Arlington, VA | May 8, 2015
• Administrative Fees, NOSSCR Conference, Las Vegas, NV | October 10, 2014
• Social Security Disability, Akron Bar Association Workers Compensation Section, Las Vegas, NV | May 18, 2014
• Social Security Disability, National Business Institute, Cleveland, OH | April 2014
• Social Security Basics, NEOMED, Community Legal Aid, Rootstown, OH | November 1, 2013
• Law Office Management, NOSSCR Conference, Washington, DC | May 17, 2013
• Drug and Alcohol Addiction, NOSSCR Conference, Seattle, WA |October 19, 2012
• Pre and Post Hearing Briefs, NOSSCR Conference, San Antonio, TX | November 3, 2011
• Social Security Disability, National Business Institute, Cleveland, OH | April 2011
• Law Office Management, NOSSCR Conference, Baltimore, MD | May 14, 2011

Publications

• Smith, Scott F., Ohio Foreclosure―What you need to Know: Understanding the Residential Foreclosure Process (Chapter). Thompson Reuters, 2010

Kandice Evelsizer was born in Salem, Ohio and grew up in Tega Cay, South Carolina.  She graduated with honors from Fort Mill High School and then attended the University of South Carolina where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science:  Scientific Foundations, with a minor in Business Administration.  During her time at the University of South Carolina, Kandice was named to the Dean’s List, was a member of the Carolina Service Council, was a professor’s assistant in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, completed an internship with a law firm that specialized in worker’s compensation and social security disability law, and worked for a bankruptcy law firm.

While attending the University of Akron School of Law, Kandice worked for the Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Trustee in Canton, Ohio and was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society and the International Legal Fraternity of Phi Delta Phi.  She also volunteered with a number of organizations, including the Campus Sidekicks program (Big Brothers Big Sisters), the Law and Leadership Institute, and Akron Law Cares.  Following her graduation from law school, Kandice became an associate attorney at Smith Godios Sorensen Inc. –at the time known as Shifrin Newman Smith, Inc.  She has been admitted to the practice of law before the Supreme Court of Ohio and the United States District Court of the Northern District of Ohio and belongs to the National Association of Social Security Claimant Representatives (NOSSCR).

Outside of the office, Kandice enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, cooking, traveling, watching movies, and going to Broadway shows.

Bar Admissions

• U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio

Education

• University of Akron School of Law, Akron, Ohio
  • J.D. – 2013
  • Honors: Dean’s List
• University of South Carolina
  • B.S. – 2010
  • Major: Exercise Science: Scientific Foundation
  • Minor: Business Administration

Professional Associations and Memberships

• National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives
• Akron Bar Association
• American Bar Association