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Local law firm unveils unique wellness initiative
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: April 12, 2018
Since graduating law school in 2010, attorney Michael Liner has been representing clients with serious injuries, diseases or illnesses, who are applying for disability benefits.
Now he’s unveiling a brand new initiative, designed to show clients and others living on a limited budget, how they can eat healthier, exercise and drop unwanted weight.
The free 12-week wellness program known as Liner Legal Largest Loser kicks off on Monday April 16 and Liner said he’s hoping to enroll at least 250 participants from across northeast Ohio.
“Many people are familiar with the reality show The Biggest Loser, so I decided to give my program a similar name,” said Liner, who founded Liner Legal in 2013.
Based in Cleveland, the social security disability law firm has offices on E. Exchange Street in Akron as well as in Canton and Sandusky.
“My program is geared to helping people living on a fixed budget who may not be able to move around much or even leave their homes.
“The program is completely online,” said Liner. “People who sign up will receive emails every Monday that include weekly meal plans, recipes, grocery lists, exercise videos, community resources, motivational messages and weekly prizes.
“Participants can also access the educational materials on our website and through our smartphone app.”
Liner said he came up with the idea for the program after one of his employees suggested that the law firm could receive a discount on health insurance if a wellness initiative were started within the office.
“I decided to expand on the idea and start a community health program,” said Liner. “It is well established that obesity is a major cause of disability and a number of my clients struggle with weight.
“I decided I wanted to go beyond helping them obtain benefits and help them fight their disability itself.”
Liner himself has been on a weight loss journey since 2013 when he weighed 458 pounds.
He underwent bariatric surgery and has managed to lose about 120 pounds. He said he’s hoping this program will help him to get closer to his personal goal, while assisting others in improving their health.
“Overall, I would like to see at least 250 people collectively lose 2,000 pounds over the 12 weeks,” said Liner. “My personal goal is to step on the scale and see a number under 300.”
Liner said one of the main differences between his program and others is that his is designed for people living on food stamps or in food deserts.
“I often hear my clients say I only have $138 a month to buy food so I can’t eat healthy,” said Liner. “My plan is to show them how they can live on that budget and still manage to buy healthier foods.
“We’ve teamed up with health providers, nutritionists and Dave’s Supermarket in Cleveland. The supermarket allowed us to go into their stores and make videos of how to shop and stay within budget,” he said.
Liner said he’s also created videos of exercises that can be done right from a person’s couch, eliminating the need for gym memberships and allowing those who are not mobile to participate.
As of April 6, more than 100 people had signed up for the program, which will run until the week of July 2.
“The first 250 people to sign up will receive a free fitness watch,” said Liner. “There are also a wide variety of prizes for the winners that have been donated by my law firm and our community partners.”
Those interested in learning more about the program can visit the firm’s website at (https://linerlegal.com/largest-loser-program/), send an email to cpippin@linerlegal.com or call 440-731-6427. Anyone who wants to download the Liner Legal smartphone app can do so by texting the letters “SSD” to 36260.
“Getting the program up and running was a lot of work,” said Liner. “Now that all the pieces are in place I hope to offer it again next year and every year after that.”