Board Certification

What does "Board Certified " mean?

Board Certification is a voluntary designation program for attorneys and legal assistants. Initial certification is valid for a period of five years. To remain certified, an attorney and legal assistant must apply for recertification every five years and meet substantial involvement, peer review and continuing legal education requirements for the specialty area.

To become Board Certified in a specialty area, an attorney must have:

Been licensed to practice law for at least five years;

Devoted a required percentage of practice to a specialty area for at least three years;

Handled a wide variety of matters in the area to demonstrate experience and involvement;

Attended continuing education seminars regularly to keep legal training up to date;

Been evaluated by fellow lawyers and judges;

Passed a 6-hour written examination.

Taken from Texas Board of Legal Specialization website www.tbls.org