TBLS has certified more than 7,300 lawyers in Texas. More than 990 lawyers have multiple certifications. TBLS has issued more than 8,300 certificates of special fitness. More than half of certified attorneys in Texas have been accredited for more than 10 years. TBLS also certifies paralegals. Today, more than 300 paralegals have obtained board certification. Some board members must be specialists, others must be general practitioners. The committee is overseen by the Texas Supreme Court. Lawyer Legion maintains a statewide directory of certified lawyers in Texas. The public can search the directory and refine their search by specialty, county or city, and connect with board-certified lawyers to assist with their case. Lawyer Legion is the only directory of business lawyers that properly recognizes all ABA-accredited specialty programs for state and state certifications, including those granted by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Texas certified attorneys must participate in continuing legal education (CLE) and demonstrate an ongoing commitment to the field to maintain certification. The goal of the TBLS is to improve the standards of the legal profession and to support the availability, accessibility, and quality of services provided by Texas attorneys to the public in certain areas of law.
[1] [4] The TBLS is overseen by twelve members appointed by the President of the Texas State Bar and approved by its Board of Directors. It has authority over all matters related to legal specialization in Texas and is subject to the continuing jurisdiction of the Texas Supreme Court. [1] [5] The Texas State Bar established TBLS in 1974 with the passage of the Texas Plan for the Recognition and Regulation of Law Specialization. The Board of Directors, composed of 12 members, is appointed by the President of the Bar for a three-year term. The Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS) was established by the Texas State Bar on July 16, 1974. TBLS oversees the recognition and regulation of lawyers specializing in specific areas of law in the State of Texas. Today, the organization certifies lawyers in 24 different areas of expertise and paralegals in six specialties. [1] [2] [3] Texas Bar Rules prohibit any attorney from advertising as a “specialist” unless he or she has obtained certification from the board in a TBLS-accredited specialty area. The Texas Board of Legal Specialization certifies attorneys in the following areas of Texas law:[1][6][7] With more than 90,000 licensed attorneys in Texas, only about 7,200 have earned the right to be publicly recognized as certified specialists in one of the 22 selected areas of law. The Texas Board of Legal Specialization is the largest attorney certification program in the United States. TBLS also accredits several national organizations approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) to certify lawyers as specialists.
To become a certified legal professional in Texas, the following general requirements include: .
