
Robertson H. Wendt, Jr.
Managing Member, Finkel Law Firm, LLC
4000 Faber Place Drive, Suite 450
Charleston, South Carolina 29405
e-mail: rwendt@finkellaw.com
phone: 843-577-5460
fax: 866-347-3906
web: www.finkellaw.com
Rob Wendt leads the Finkel Law Firm’s disability department representing
clients in claims for Social Security disability, long term disability,
and other disability benefit programs. He has practiced law in Charleston,
S.C. since 1981 after earning his law degree from the University of South
Carolina School of Law and has successfully handled thousands of disability
claims in hearings before federal administrative law judges and in administrative
and federal court appeals. He is a board-certified specialist in Social
Security disability law, certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA).
Throughout his career, Rob has worked to improve the practice of disability
law and to promote justice for the disabled. He has served as a leader
in several state and national bar organizations; has worked with members
of Congress and the Social Security Administration on disability law and
policy; has served as speaker, trainer, and panelist on Social Security
law and practice; and has addressed the public on disability issues in
personal appearances and through the media.
In the late 1990’s, Rob conceived and promoted the creation of a
national board certification for Social Security disability legal specialists
to serve disability claimants looking for the most qualified lawyers to
represent them. In 2005, the American Bar Association accredited the first
national legal specialization program for Social Security disability attorneys
through the NBTA, the country’s largest national certifying organization
of legal specialists. Rob has served on the NBTA board of directors since
2012 and is active on several committees.
Because of his commitment to public and professional service, Rob was honored with a
South Carolina Lawyers Weekly’s 2011 Leadership in Law award.
In 1993 Rob founded a small regional law firm in Charleston, SC focusing
exclusively on disability benefits law. In 2016 Rob joined the Finkel
Law Firm with the goal of building a statewide disability law practice
for the firm, which has offices in Columbia and Charleston, SC. He is
committed to using his many years of experience to train a new generation
of lawyers and professional legal staff to represent disabled clients
with the highest degree of professionalism and service.
Areas of Practice:
Social Security Disability
Long Term Disability
Bar Admissions:
South Carolina, 1981
United States District Court, District of South Carolina, 1982
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, 1983
Supreme Court of the United States, 2019
Education:
University of South Carolina School of Law, Columbia, S.C., 1981
Juris Doctor
Washington & Lee University, Lexington, Virginia, 1978
Bachelor of Arts
St. Andrew’s School, Middletown, Delaware, graduated 1974
Judicial Clerkships:
The Honorable Klyde Robinson, South Carolina Circuit Judge, Ninth Judicial
Circuit, 1981-1982
The Honorable Lawrence E. Richter, Jr., South Carolina Circuit Judge, Ninth
Judicial Circuit, 1982
Government Service – Criminal Prosecutor:
Assistant Solicitor (state criminal prosecutor), Ninth Judicial Circuit
1990-1994, Appointed by Ninth Circuit Solicitor Charles Condon as South
Carolina’s first state environmental crimes prosecutor, focusing
on white collar pollution/hazardous waste crimes.
Special Assistant United States Attorney, 1992. Appointed by United States
Attorney Bart Daniel to assist in prosecution of complex international
case involving illegal manufacture, transportation, and disposal of hazardous waste.
United States v. Stoller Chemical Company Inc., et al.
Public Offices:
Chair, Charleston County Business License/User Fee Appeals Board, 1989-1991,
Appointed by Charleston County Council.
Chair, Charleston Area Mental Health Center Board, 1986-1988. Appointed
1983 by Governor Richard Riley, reappointed 1987 by Governor Carroll Campbell.
Current Professional Associations and Memberships:
National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR)
- Officer – Secretary 2022-2023
- Executive Committee
- Board of Directors – 4th Circuit, 2022 to present
- Chair – Policy Committee
National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA)
- Certified specialist, Social Security Disability Advocacy, certified 2008,
recertified 2013 and 2018
- Board of Directors 2012 to present
- Examination Committee
- Communications & Membership Committee
American Association for Justice (AAJ)
South Carolina Bar
South Carolina Association for Justice (SCAJ)
Charleston County Bar Association
Past Professional Leadership Positions:
American Association for Justice
- Founding member of Social Security Disability Law Section
- Chair, Social Security Disability Law Section, 2000-2001
South Carolina Association for Justice
- Elected to Board of Directors representing Ninth Judicial Circuit, 1999-2002
- Chair, Social Security Section, 1997-2000, 2003-2007
Federal Bar Association, South Carolina Chapter
- Board of Directors, 2003-2005
National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR)
- Board of Directors, at-large representative, 2016-2017
Representative Cases:
-
Shelley C. v. Comm’r of Soc. Sec. Admin., 61 F.4th 341(4th Cir. 2023)
-
Arakas v. Comm’r of Soc.
Sec., 983 F.3d 83 (4th Cir. 2020)
-
Meyer v. Astrue, 662 F.3d 700 (4th Cir. 2011)
-
Jepson v. U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Servs., 977 F.2d 911 (4th Cir. 1992)
-
Rhodes v. Palmetto Pathway Homes, Inc., 303 S.C. 308, 400 S.E.2d 484 (1991)