The Job Is to Shed Light, Not to Master [There Is No Point Unless You Make It] – NOSSCR 2026 Fall National Conference – Track II (Presented by National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives)
Rob is an Associate Attorney, representing numerous disability clients at their administrative hearings.
1 hour CLE
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Program Summary
Tell It Until "Things We've Never Seen Will Seem Familiar"
The job is to shed light, not to master. A claimant's testimony persuades not by covering everything but by returning to what matters: thematic circularity, built from the medical and earnings records, shaping a narrative that balances passion and practicality with case development.
The repetition is the strategy. Proper storytelling illustrates favorable interpretations and positive evidentiary recurrences for the ALJ — over and over, until things the ALJ has never seen begin to seem familiar. And because the client carries the risk, the argument options matter: some carry far less risk for the claimant than others.
You walk out with the storyteller's toolkit: the argument options with the least element of risk, practice in storytelling according to the SSR 16-3p factors, and experience choosing when and how to take advantage of the opportunities that only happen in the hearing room at Steps 1–5.
Eligible for up to 1 CLE Credit Hour
This session was originally submitted for CLE as a live, in-person presentation and a live webcast for the 2026 Fall National Conference and may be eligible for self-study credit. Each state handles self-study credit differently; for questions, please consult your State Bar Association.
Recorded Friday, October 16, 2026.
Key topics to be discussed:
- Thematic Circularity
Building testimony that returns to its themes, constructed from the medical and earnings records. - Passion and Practicality
Shaping a narrative that balances both, integrated with case development. - Storytelling for the ALJ
Illustrating favorable interpretations and positive evidentiary recurrences, over and over, until the unfamiliar seems familiar. - Least-Risk Argument Options
Choosing the argument options that carry the least element of risk for your client. - The SSR 16-3p Factors
Practicing story-telling structured around the SSR 16-3p factors. - Hearing-Room Opportunities
When and how to take advantage of the openings that only happen in the hearing room at Steps 1–5.
This course is co-sponsored with myLawCLE.
Date / Time: October 14, 2026
- 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm Eastern
- 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Central
- 11:30 am – 12:30 pm Mountain
- 10:30 am – 11:30 pm Pacific
Closed-captioning available
Speakers
Robert Gross Tarlock, Associate Attorney | Liner Legal, LLC
Rob is an Associate Attorney, representing numerous disability clients at their administrative hearings.
- Education & Credentials
He graduated from DePaul Law School in Chicago and from Colby College in Waterville, Maine with a degree in American Studies and Literature.
- Professional Involvement
Rob has presented on various aspects of Social Security practice at places such as conferences for the National Organization of Social Security Claimant Representatives (NOSSCR), the National Business Institute, the Chicago Bar Association, the North Carolina Bar Association and he has co-authored a presentation on Environmental Justice for Loyola College of Law’s Children’s Legal Rights Journal Symposium.
- Experience
Rob additionally handles administrative appeals in U.S. District Courts and Courts of Appeal throughout the country. He has interned as a clerk at the Northern District Court of Illinois and Daley Circuit Court in Chicago, and he taught in the Chicago Public School system. Prior to becoming an attorney, Rob was a hiphop musician for fifteen years, producing four albums, touring the planet, leading college workshops about the significance of hip- hop culture and working for a number of political campaigns, including voter protection in Western Pennsylvania in the fall of 2008. He still occasionally performs music in Chicago as well as practices in civil court.
Agenda
SESSION 1 – The Job is to Shed Light, Not to Master (There is no point unless you make it) | 1:30pm – 2:30pm
Help your clients testify with thematic circularity built from the medical and earnings records to create a narrative that balances passion and practicality, with case development. Through proper storytelling, we help illustrate favorable interpretations and positive evidentiary recurrences for the ALJ, over and over, until “things we’ve never seen will seem familiar.” Attendees will learn which argument options provide the least element of risk for their clients, gain practice in story-telling according to the SSR 16-3p factors and get experience in choosing when and how to take advantage of opportunities that only happen in the hearing room at Steps 1-5.
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