Lawyers often limit the kinds of matters that they handle in order to acquire expertise in a specific field of law. Board certification provides formal recognition of that concentration of knowledge and experience.
Although the requirements vary from one specialty area to the next, the minimum standards for certification as a board certified specialist include the following five key requirements:
• Licensed in NC and in good standing with the North Carolina State Bar.
• Substantial involvement in the practice area during the five calendar years prior to the year of application.
• Completion of a certain number of CLE credit hours in the specialty area during the three calendar years prior to the year of application.
• Satisfactory showing of qualification in the specialty area through peer review.
• Passage of a comprehensive examination in the practice area.
Specialty Certification Areas
Appellate Practice ∙ Bankruptcy (business and consumer) ∙ Child Welfare ∙ Criminal (federal, state, and juvenile delinquency) ∙ Elder ∙ Estate Planning and Probate ∙ Family ∙ Immigration ∙ Privacy and Information Security ∙ Real Property (commercial and residential) ∙ Social Security Disability ∙ Trademark ∙ Utilities ∙ Workers’ Compensation
Application period: March 1 – May 1, 2023 : Apply in the State Bar Members Portal Application fee: $250, early application discount of $50 available through April 1.
Contact Denise Mullen at dmullen@ncbar.gov or Sheila Saucier at ssaucier@ncbar.gov or call 919-828-4620 for additional information. The North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization: www.nclawspecialists.gov