Board Certification

What does it mean to be board certified?
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. The Board administers the program by which an attorney may earn a certificate of special competence in a particular field of law.
An attorney who is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Personal Injury Trial Law must have handled jury trials dealing with matters such as vehicle accidents, worker's compensation, premises liability, products liability, statutory tort claims, maritime accidents, or social security claims which involve a physical or mental injury to a person. The attorney must also have extensive knowledge of the law of evidence, procedure, and other substantive law involved in the trial of personal injury cases.

To become Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law, an attorney must have:

• Been licensed to practice law for at least five years
• Devoted a required percentage of practice to personal injury trial law for at least three years
• Handled a wide variety of personal injury trial law matters to demonstrate experience and involvement
• Attended personal injury trial law continuing education seminars regularly to keep legal training up to date
• 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.

How common is it for lawyers to be Board Certified?
Currently the Texas State Bar reports 77,000 lawyers in the State of Texas. Only 8,332 lawyers are Board Certified and among them only 1,765 lawyers are specifically Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law.
back to top

Next