Meet Adriana

Adriana M. de la Torre co-founded The de la Torre Law Office LLC, where she focuses her practice exclusively on representing individuals who have been denied Social Security benefits and must seek judicial review of the Social Security Administration’s decision in federal court. Adriana has extensive experience in litigating Social Security cases in the federal courts, where she zealously seeks to reverse the agency’s erroneous denial of benefits to claimants. Adriana continuously strives to provide the highest level of representation for her clients in administrative and court proceedings to ensure that their claims are adjudicated consistent with applicable statutes, agency regulations, and judicial precedent. Primarily, Adriana represents disability claimants in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the seven district courts in its jurisdiction, including Central District of Illinois, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois, Northern District of Indiana, Southern District of Indiana, Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Western District of Wisconsin. Her practice also includes the Western District of Michigan and all three district courts in Florida (Southern, Middle, and Northern).

Adriana is a member of the National Organization of Social Security Claimant Representatives (NOSSCR) and regularly attends national disability conferences to stay current on the latest developments in Social Security Law that will enable her to continue to provide outstanding representation to her clients. Given her experience, Adriana was invited to be a presenter at several national NOSSCR Conferences, including conferences in Denver, Miami, and Seattle. Adriana also has been a presenter at the Chicago Bar Association’s Social Security Disability Conference, the Orange County Bar Association, and the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum. In addition to her multiple speaking engagements, Adriana has authored several articles on Social Security Disability Law for the Indianapolis Bar Association. Adriana is also active with the Indiana State Bar Association’s Social Security Disability group and the Orange County Bar Association’s Social Security Committee.

Prior to co-founding The de la Torre Law Office LLC in 2011 with her sister and law partner, Carina de la Torre, Adriana served as an Assistant Regional Counsel in the Social Security Administration’s Office of the General Counsel, Region V, Chicago. As an Assistant Regional Counsel, she represented the Social Security Administration, defending the Agency in legal actions arising under Titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act before courts of original and appellate jurisdiction and administrative agencies in a five-state region. During her tenure with the agency, Adriana acquired a comprehensive knowledge of the Social Security Act, related federal and state statutes, regulations, Social Security Rulings, Agency interpretation of pertinent court decisions, and the court precedents in the Courts of Appeals for the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Circuits. She was also appointed Special Assistant United States Attorney to represent the Agency in various jurisdictions, including: Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

Given her extensive experience in federal court, Adriana was selected as a member of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana’s Social Security Disability Work Group. Adriana has also been appointed by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana as Mediation Assistance Program Counsel and served as counsel through the Court’s Attorney Recruitment Program. She has been recognized for her Pro Bono work before the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.

EDUCATION

Indiana University Maurer School of Law (Bloomington)

Doctor of Jurisprudence (2006)

Fellow, Indiana CLEO (2003)

Member, Latino Law Students Association

Participant, Moot Court Competition

School of Law Student Ambassador

Florida International University

Bachelor of Arts (2002)

Recipient, National Dean’s List and Dean’s List

Founder, Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity

Member, Golden Key International Honour Society

Florida Bright Futures Scholar

STATE ADMISSIONS

State of Illinois (2006)

State of Florida (2020)

FEDERAL ADMISSIONS

Supreme Court of the United States

United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit

United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit

United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit

United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois (General Bar)

United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois (Trial Bar)

United States District Court, Central District of Illinois

United States District Court, Southern District of Illinois

United States District Court, Southern District of Indiana

United States District Court, Northern District of Indiana

United States District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin

United States District Court, Western District of Wisconsin

United States District Court, Western District of Michigan

United States District Court, Southern District of Florida

Untied States District Court, Middle District of Florida

United States District Court, Northern District of Florida

HONORS AND AWARDS

Avvo 10.0 Rating of Top Attorney

Pro Bono Honor Roll, United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana (2016)

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT AND APPEARANCES

• NADR Podcast, Let’s Get Into It, Episode 17: Adriana de la Torre – The Hearing Nuggets (February 15, 2023)
• Significant Cases from the Seventh Circuit July 2018 to August 2020 (Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum, September 2020)

• Social Security 101 (Orange County Bar Association, October 2018)
• Significant Cases from the Seventh Circuit: July 2015 to July 2018 (Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum, August 2018)
• “Wait, What Just Happened?” — Tips and Tricks for When Things Take a Turn for the Worse (NOSSCR Conference, November 2016)
• Anatomy of a Hearing (Chicago Bar Association’s Seventh Circuit Social Security Disability Law Conference, September 2016)
• Medical Source Statements — The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (NOSSCR Conference, May 2016)
• Setting Up Your Client for The Win: Commonly Overlooked Techniques for Obtaining Favorable Evidence (NOSSCR Conference, October 2015)
• Moot Court Competition Judge, Indiana University Maurer School of Law — Bloomington
• Moot Court Competition Judge, Loyola University School of Law – Chicago

AUTHORED PUBLICATIONS

Indianapolis Bar Association, Commonly Asked Questions about Indiana Law: A Guide for Pro Bono Service (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)

MEMBERSHIPS

National Association of Disability Representatives

National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives

Federal Bar Association

Indiana State Bar Association