Approval rates
Judge Lessis maintains a lifetime approval rate of 62%, which compares favorably against the Dallas Downtown office average of 60% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a docket of 19,336 lifetime decisions accumulated over 7 years on the bench. By reviewing these metrics, you can better understand the historical context of your hearing.
Office- and national-level breakdowns of fully favorable vs denial rates aren't currently published by SSA in the per-office disposition data. The judge's own breakdown is the detail we have today.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Lessis's docket. Annual rates fluctuate with the mix of cases SSA assigns; the longer-run pattern is more informative than any single year.
Decision pattern
Over his 7-year tenure, your judge has seen annual approval rates fluctuate, reaching a peak of 69% in 2020 before trending toward 52% in 2022. This pattern reflects the variability in case volume and the types of medical evidence presented each year. While the most recent period shows a shift, his long-term average remains a stable indicator of his judicial history.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Lessis's bench. Judge-specific preparation guidance requires a corpus of public Appeals Council decisions involving each judge, which we haven't built yet.
- Bring a clean treating-physician record. Longitudinal primary-care or specialist notes spanning the disability period, with consistent symptom documentation, are typically the strongest evidence at hearing. A single month's records usually aren't enough.
- Don't rely on consultative exams alone. If your medical evidence is built primarily around a one-time CE finding, expect detailed questioning. Supplement with treating-source statements where possible.
- Prepare for daily-activity questions. Have honest, specific answers about a typical day. Answers that conflict with the medical record (in either direction) tend to hurt credibility.
- Expect transferable-skills probing. A vocational expert will usually testify about jobs available to someone with your limitations. Your representative should be prepared to cross-examine.
Hearing with Judge Lessis? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Dallas Downtown hearing office
The Dallas Downtown Hearing Office serves a large population in Texas, managing a high volume of SSDI claims with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 60%, reflecting the complex nature of the cases heard in this region. You can see the Dallas Downtown Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment to Judge Lessis is essentially random. Across the Dallas Downtown bench, the office's 6 ALJs range from 49% to 69% in their lifetime approval rates. Because of this variance, understanding the office environment is a helpful step in your preparation.
Your odds change dramatically with a lawyer
SSDI hearing approval rates — represented vs. on your own
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.