Find a Certification Program
Select a state from the drop-down menu or click on a state below for a summary of its approach to regulating specialty certification, including the availability of certification programs, links to applicable ethics rules and sources of additional information. More information...
While attorneys may be certified by any private certification program, each state has specific rules governing how lawyers may communicate their certification. Be sure to contact the state representatives listed for more information regarding recognition of private specialization programs.
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More Information About Finding a Certification Program
Regulating Communication of Certification
Like other aspects of the practice of law, lawyer conduct with regard to specialty certification is regulated by the states.
Despite the widespread existence of de facto specialization in the legal profession, during the past several decades a large majority of state disciplinary rules prohibited lawyers from holding themselves out as specialists. Peel v. Attorney Registration Disciplinary Commission of Illinois, 496 U.S. 91 (1990) brought lawyer specialization into the spotlight of the profession. The U. S. Supreme Court ruled in that case that states may not constitutionally impose a blanket prohibition on a truthful communication by a lawyer that he or she is certified as a specialist by a bona fide organization, but may regulate such claims.
The Peel decision disallowing a ban on communications of lawyer certification forced states to reevaluate their positions on the issue. The ABA amended its Model Rules of Professional Conduct in 1993 to allow certification by programs which met rigorous standards of integrity and competence. The ABA model language has already been used by a number of states to bring their ethics codes into constitutional compliance, while others have followed different approaches.
Sources of Certification
Finding a suitable certification program depends upon where you practice and your specialty area. To help, we have compiled the Sources of Certification list of state specialization plans and private organizations which administer ABA-accredited certification programs. These listings contain more details about which programs are offered and how to contact the organizational sponsor.
ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 7.4
The ABA policy on specialist certification is embodied in its Standards for Specialty Certification Programs for Lawyers. Several states have adopted this rule verbatim, but many have used portions of it to craft ethics rules reflecting local preferences.
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