Sources of Certification

Sources of Certification

Here is a current listing of lawyer specialty certification programs sources offered to lawyers in various parts of the country. Check our Find a Certification Program page for limitations which state ethics rules place on public disclosure of certification.

General questions?

Programs

Click on a program listing for a summary description of its offerings. 

Private Organizations with ABA-Accredited Certification Programs - Offer certification of specialists directly in various fields of law to lawyers nationally. Check state regulations for disclaimer requirements. 

State Sponsored Certification Plans  - These entities offer certification of specialists directly in various fields of law to lawyers licensed in their state, and accredit some programs of private specialist certification programs, too.

State Entities That Accredit Private Certifiers - These entities accredit certification programs of other, private organizations certifying lawyer specialists in their state. 

Directory of Programs

ABA-Accredited Private National Programs

American Board of Certification
Dian Gilmore, Executive Director 
4403 1st Avenue SE, Suite 113 
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402
Phone: 319/365-2222 Fax: 319/363-0127
Specialty Programs: Business Bankruptcy; Consumer Bankruptcy; Creditors Rights

American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys
Reeve McNamara, Executive Director 
4355 Cobb Parkway, Suite J-208 
Atlanta, GA 30339
Phone: 404/919.4009
Fax: 866/531.9643
Specialty Programs: Legal Professional Liability; Medical Professional Liability

National Association of Counsel for Children
Kendall Marlowe, JD, MSW, NACC Executive Director
13123 E. 16th Ave. B390
Aurora, CO 80045
Phone: 888/828.NACC or 888/828.6222
Specialty Programs: Juvenile Law-Child Welfare

National Association of Estate Planners & Councils
Estate Law Specialist Board, Inc.
Susan Carney, Administrative Director
1120 Chester Ave., Suite 470 
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
Phone: 216/696-3225
Specialty Programs: Estate Planning Law Specialist

National Board of Trial Advocacy
Melissa Sternbach, Executive Director
200 Stonewall Blvd.
Wrentham, Massachusetts 02093
Phone: 508/384-6565
Specialty Programs: Civil Trial Advocacy; Criminal Trial Advocacy; Family Law Trial Advocacy; Social Security Disability Law; Civil Pretrial Practice Law.

National College for DUI Defense, Inc.
Rhea C. Kirk, Executive Director
445 S Decatur Street
Montgomery, AL 36104
Phone: 334/264-1950
Specialty Programs: DUI Defense Law

National Elder Law Foundation
Meg Hyatt
6336 North Oracle Road, Ste. 326, #136
Tucson, AZ 85704
Phone: 520/881-1076
Specialty Program: Elder Law
meg@nelf.org

State Certification Plans

State Bar of Arizona Legal Specialization and MCLE
Penny Lewis, Administrator 
4201 N. 24th Street Suite 100
Phoenix, Arizona 85016-6266
Phone: 602/340-7326
Specialty Programs: Bankruptcy; Criminal; Estate & Trust; Family Law; Injury and Wrongful Death; Real Estate; Tax; Workers' Compensation

State Bar of California - Department of Legal Specialization
180 Howard Street
San Francisco, California 94105
Phone: 415/538-2100
Specialty Programs: Admiralty and Maritime; Appellate; Bankruptcy; Criminal; Estate Planning, Trust & Probate; Family; Franchise and Distribution; Immigration & Nationality; Legal Malpractice; Taxation; Workers' Compensation

Connecticut State Bar Association
Suzanne Hard, Attorney
30 Bank Street, PO Box 350
New Britain, CT 06050-0350
Phone: 860/612-2033
Specialty Programs: National Board of Trial Advocacy for civil trial practice and criminal law; the American Board of Certification for business bankruptcy and consumer bankruptcy; and the Connecticut Bar Association's Standing Committee on Workers' Compensation for workers' compensation law.

The Florida Bar, Board of Legal Specialization and Education
Diana Kellogg, Director
661 E. Jefferson St.
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2300
Phone: 850/561-5850
Specialty Programs: Adoption Law; Admiralty & Maritime; Antitrust & Trade Regulation; Appellate Practice; Aviation; Business Litigation; City, County and Local Government; Civil Trial; Construction Law; Criminal Appellate; Criminal Trial; Education Law; Elder Law; Health Law; Immigration & Nationality; Intellectual Property Law; International Law; Labor & Employment Law; Marital & Family Law; Real Estate; State and Federal Government and Administrative Practice; Tax; Wills, Trusts & Estates; Workers' Compensation

Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization
Barbara Shafranski

601 St. Charles Avenue
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
Phone: 504/619-0128
Specialty Programs: Appellate Practice Business Bankruptcy; Consumer Bankruptcy; Employment Law; Estate Planning & Administration; Family Law; Labor Law; Tax Law

Minnesota State Bar Association
Jessica Thomas, MSBA Section Services Director
600 Nicollet Mall #380
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Phone: 800/882-MSBA
Specialty Programs: Civil Trial Law; Criminal Law; Labor and Employment Law; Real Property Law

New Jersey Board on Attorney Certification
Wendy L. Weiss, Staff Attorney
CN 970, Trenton, New Jersey 08625
Phone: 609/984-3077
Specialty Programs: Civil Trial; Criminal Trial; Matrimonial; Workers' Compensation

New Mexico Board of Legal Specialization
Anita Otero, Director, Court Regulated Programs
P.O. Box 93070
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87199
Phone: 505/821-1980
Specialty Programs: Appellate Practice; Bankruptcy; Civil Trial; Consumer; Criminal Trial; Employment & Labor Law; Environmental; Estate Planning, Probate & Trusts; Family Law; Federal Indian Law; Local Government Law; Natural Resources; Real Estate; Taxation; Workers' Compensation

North Carolina Board of Legal Specialization
Alice Neece Mine, Executive Director
P.O. Box 25908
Raleigh, North Carolina 27611
Phone: 919/828-4620
Specialty Programs: Business Bankruptcy Law; Consumer Bankruptcy Law; Criminal Appellate Practice; Federal Criminal Law; State Criminal Law; Estate Planning & Probate Law; Family Law; Immigration Law; Real Property Law: Business, Commercial & Industrial; Real Property Law: Residential Transactions; Trademark Law; Workers' Compensation Law

Ohio State Bar Association
Melissa Quick, Specialization and Certification Manager
P.O. Box 16562
Columbus, Ohio 43216-6562
Phone: 800/282-6556
Specialty Programs: Estate Planning Trust and Probate Law; Family Relations Law; Federal Taxation Law; Insurance Coverage Law; Labor and Employment Law; Real Property - Business, Commercial and Industrial Law; Real Property - Residential Law and Workers' Compensation Law in Ohio

South Carolina Supreme Court Commission on CLE and Specialization
L. Donette Welch
950 Taylor Street, Suite 120
P.O. Box 2138                                                                               Columbia, South Carolina 29202
Phone: 803/799-5578
Specialty Programs: Bankruptcy and Debtor-Creditor Law; Employment and Labor Law; Estate Planning & Probate Law; Taxation

Tennessee Supreme Court Commission on CLE & Specialization
Judy Bond-McKissack
221 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 300
Nashville, TN 37219
Phone: 615/741-3096
Specialty Programs: Accounting Malpractice; Business Bankruptcy; Civil Trial Advocacy; Consumer Bankruptcy; Creditors' Rights; Criminal Law Trial Advocacy; DUI Defense; Elder Law; Estate Planning; Family Law Trial Advocacy; Juvenile Law; Legal Professional Liability; Medical Professional Liability; Social Security Disability

Texas Board of Legal Specialization
Leo Figueroa, Executive Director
505 E. Huntland Drive, Suite 400, L.B. 28
Austin, Texas 78752
Phone: 512/453-7266
Specialty Programs: Administrative; Business Bankruptcy; Consumer Bankruptcy; Civil Appellate; Civil Trial; Commercial Real Estate; Consumer and Commercial; Criminal; Estate Planning & Probate; Family; Farm & Ranch Real Estate; Immigration & Nationality; Juvenile; Labor & Employment; Oil, Gas & Mineral; Personal Injury Trial; Residential Real Estate; Tax

State Accreditation Plans

Alabama State Bar Board of Legal Specialization
Contact: Angela Parks, Director of Regulatory Programs
Phone: 334/269-1515

Idaho State Bar
Contact: Annette Strauser
Phone: 208/334-4500

Indiana Supreme Court Commission on CLE & Specialization
Contact: Julia Orzeske, Executive Director
Phone: 317/232-1943

Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar
Contact: Alan P. Kelley, Assistant Bar Counsel 
Phone: 207/623-1121

Minnesota Board of Legal Certification
Contact: Maragaret Fuller Corneille
Phone: 651/297-1857

Ohio Supreme Court Commission on Certification of Attorneys as Specialists
Contact: Susan Christoff, Esq.
Phone: 888/308-2207

Pennsylvania Bar Association State Accreditation Plan
Contact: Tameka Altadonna
Phone: 800/932-0311 x2280

Tennessee Supreme Court Commission on CLE and Specialization
Contact: Judy Bond-McKissack, Esq., Executive Director
Phone: 615/741-3096

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions about these web pages please let us know.  Email Specialization

Last updated on: 11/07/2016

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