Board Certification - Requirements and Benefits

Board Certification for a divorce lawyer in Ft. Worth is a voluntary process comprised of very high standards which have been established by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. These standards are designed to award special recognition to lawyers who have demonstrated a high degree of excellence in their area of specialty.

A Board Certified divorce lawyer in Ft. Worth is a family law specialist who possesses substantial experience and successes in contested Texas family law matters. In Texas, there are about 726 Board Certified family law specialists, and only 24 practice in Ft. Worth. Retaining a Board Certified Family Law attorney for your Ft. Worth divorce guarantees your lawyer has:

· Been licensed to practice law for at least five years

· Devoted at least 35% of their time to family law for at least three years

· Demonstrated experience and involvement in a wide variety of family law matters

· Regularly attended continuing education programs to keep up-to-date

· Been evaluated and referred by their peers

· Passed a 6 hour written examination on the area of family law

Within the Texas legal community, Board Certified attorneys are recognized experts in their respective areas of law. Family law specialists are well versed in trial cases involving divorce, property division, child custody, child support, adoption, paternity, and other family matters. Certification requires an applicant to show substantial involvement and special competence in Texas family law practice by providing information concerning specific tasks completed within the last three years, such as:

· Lead counsel in at least 9 contested final trials or binding arbitrations in Texas family law cases where oral testimony was taken and issues were determined by a finder of fact in a court of record.

• At least 4 trials must have involved issues of property division
• At least 4 trials must have involved appointment or modification of managing conservatorship

· Lead counsel in at least 30 Texas family law matters involving issues pertaining to Texas Family Code, Titles 1(Marriage Relationship); 2 (Child in Relation to the Family); 4 (Protective Orders and Family Violence); or 5 (Parent Child Relationship), where the case was settled outside of a contested final hearing or trial.

· Applicant must meet 2 of the 3 following categories:

• 2 Texas civil jury trials at the county court or district court level where at least one involved family law, submitted to the jury for decision
• 1 Texas civil appeal involving family law where briefs were filed by the applicant
• 10 Texas mediations involving family law as an attorney representing a litigant or as a mediator

To represent themselves to the public as a specialist, not only does a divorce lawyer in Ft. Worth have to meet these strict requirements for the initial certification, they must maintain these standards on an ongoing basis to remain certified. A lawyer must apply for recertification every five years and meet substantial involvement, peer review and continuing education requirements for family law specialization.