SAVE the DATE: September 25-26, 2025 ABA National Specialization Roundtable
Join us in New Orleans, LA for interactive sessions with certification administrators, AI specialists, certified lawyers and marketers. Registration will open in April 2025.
Upcoming Roundtable Events
Contact [email protected] to be added to our invitation email list for future roundtable events.
Past Roundtable Events
Virtual Roundtable Discussion Hour November 14, 2024
The interactive session featured a panel of certification administrators delving into why certification matters, with a focus on the benefits provided to members as well as the value that certified lawyers provide to the public.
National Specialization Roundtable | July 30-31, 2024 | Chicago, IL
In July 2024, board-certified lawyers, certification administrators and others in the specialization community attended sessions on attracting public service attorneys to specialization, how certification programs handle changes in professional status for members, facilitating certification examinations and the value of certification and why it matters to lawyers and clients.
Virtual Roundtable Discussion Hour December 8, 2023
On December 8, 2023 the marketing firm BRASCO gave a presentation on the public awareness marketing survey it conducted for the North Carolina Board of Legal Specialization.
National Specialization Roundtable | May 12-13, 2023 | Chicago, IL
The ABA Standing Committee hosted the National Specialization Roundtable on May 12th and 13th in Chicago, IL. Sessions included: 1) Marketing: What Works? - a panel discussion on proven marketing techniques to increase and retain membership, membership management and creating mutually beneficial relationships with other organizations; 2) Substantial Involvement - a discussion on the requirements for lawyer certification and the challenges for lawyers looking to become certified for the first time and for those looking to maintain their certification; 3) Marketing Legal Specialization Without Certification - a panel discussion with representatives from Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, Martindale-Avvo and IAPP on recruitment, criteria and how much lawyers are willing to pay to promote their expertise; and 4) Remote Examinations - a panel discussion exploring the challenges and benefits to remote testing and the impact on lawyer certification.
Virtual Roundtable Discussion Hour March 1, 2023
On March 1 the Standing Committee on Specialization hosted a moderated discussion on diversity and inclusion within the specialization community. Participants discussed questions on whether specialization programs reflect the clients the program serves, and what efforts the specialization community can undertake to ensure all have knowledge of and access to specialty certification Selina Thomas, Diversity Director at the ABA, presented.
Virtual Roundtable Discussion Hour September 29, 2022
On September 29, 2022, the ABA Standing Committee on Specialization held a virtual roundtable discussion hour focusing on branding in specialization and providing value for board-certified lawyers. The session was moderated by Roger Daily, Division Head at the National Board of Trial Advocacy and Emily Bradfield, Marketing Director at the American Bar Association.
National Specialization Roundtable | May 13-14, 2022 | Chicago, IL
The ABA Standing Committee on Specialization hosted the National Specialization Roundtable in Chicago in mid-May. Representatives from six national certifying organizations with ABA accredited programs and ten states, along with legal marketing experts came together to discuss the peer review process, branding, social media, and innovative marketing campaigns.
Virtual Roundtable Discussion Hour March 1, 2022
In March 2022, the ABA Standing Committee on Specialization held a virtual roundtable exploring how state and national certifying organizations can work together for the betterment of the profession and the public. Judge Melissa May, Special Advisor to the Committee, moderated the discussion.
Virtual Roundtable Discussion Hour October 18, 2021
In October 2021, the ABA Standing Committee on Specialization hosted a highly interactive roundtable discussion, moderated by Heather Rosing, CEO and President of Klinedinst PC, on the effects of the pandemic on legal specialization programs across the country and the challenges and successes in marketing legal specialization, both to lawyers and to the consumers of legal services.
Virtual Roundtable Discussion Hour May 11, 2021
In May 2021, Brian Oten, Ethics Counsel and Director of Legal Specialization and Paralegal Certification at the North Carolina State Bar, moderated a discussion with state bars and national certifying organizations on what state bar certification programs are doing to provide value to their members and what types of marketing tools and efforts are being used to attract, engage and retain members.
Annual National Specialization Roundtable (Virtual) | December 15-16, 2020
The Annual Roundtable on Specialization event included presentations on marketing specialization programs, designing and evaluating specialty examinations and virtual certification exam administration.