Thanks! That’s a lot of the information that I was looking for. I guess that I bucked the trend. I went pro se in a hearing on the written record and came out on top. To be fair, I had been involved, as a witness in a previous hearing where the applicant was represented by an attorney. I learned a lot by observing the work of the attorney and their mistakes. So, I had a very good idea of what that judge was looking for an built my response to the FORM on that base. It also helped that I am a pretty good writer and took my time organizing my brief.
The DC initially filed for an appeal and I was prepared to have an attorney review or file that brief but they decided, at the very last minute, not to file the appeal.
So, I came out on top! Of course, now I’m waiting for a start date for my new job . . . Hopefully, early in the new year.