What does ''Board Certified'' mean?

Board Certification is a voluntary specialization program for attorneys.

An attorney who is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Criminal Law must have experience in the preparation and trial of serious criminal matters. The attorney must also have extensive knowledge of state and federal constitutional law, evidence, procedure and penal laws involved in the trial of these matters.

To become Board Certified in Criminal Law, an attorney must have:

• Been licensed to practice law for at least five years;


• Devoted a required percentage of practice to criminal law for at least three years;


• Handled a wide variety of criminal law matters to demonstrate experience and involvement;


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


• Been evaluated by fellow lawyers and judges;


• Passed a day-long written examination.

Initial certification is valid for a period of five years. To remain certified, an attorney must apply for recertification every five years and meet practice, peer review and continuing legal education requirements for the specialty field.

The consumer can identify a Criminal Law Board Certified attorney in one of many ways. A Criminal Law Board Certified attorney is entitled to indicate certification on business cards and letterhead by stating ''Board Certified - Criminal Law - Texas Board of Legal Specialization.'' The attorney may also display the Certificate of Special Competence awarded by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and list the certification in legal directories and telephone listings under ''Attorneys - Board Certified.''

As of July, 2005, there are currently 6,923 board certified attorneys in Texas, of whom only 814 are board certified in Criminal Law. Many of these criminal law specialists work as prosecutors or judges, rather than in criminal defense.

The Texas Board of Legal Specialization was created by, and operates under the authority of, the Supreme Court of Texas. Its members are appointed by the President of the State Bar of Texas.

For more information please write to:

Texas Board of Legal Specialization
P.O. Box 12487
Austin, Texas 78711-2487

or call

(512) 463-1454
(800) 204-2222 ext. 1454
Fax (512) 477-7719
http://www.tbls.org