WHAT IS A CERTIFIED SPECIALIST?
The State Bar of California first adopted a program for certifying legal specialists in 1985, and first began certifying specialists in appellate law in 1996. The purpose of the specialty program is to identify attorneys who have demonstrated proficiency in, currently, eleven specialty areas and to encourage attorney competence in these areas, all of which require specialized knowledge and skills.
To be certified as a specialist by the State Board of Legal Specialization in any of the eleven specialty areas, an attorney must:
1) pass a written examination;
2) demonstrate a high level of experience in the specialty field by meeting specific task and experience requirements;
3) spend a substantial portion of his or her professional time in the specialty area;
4) meet certain initial and ongoing education requirements in the specialty field and considerably more general legal education requirements than a non-specialist; and,
5) be favorably evaluated by other attorneys and judges who are familiar with the attorney’s work.
To demonstrate the high level of experience required for certification as an appellate specialist, an attorney must have been substantially involved in the practice of appellate law, including: advising clients with regards to appeals; identifying appealable orders; preparing briefs, appellate motions, petitions for extraordinary writs and petitions for review; and presenting oral arguments. The attorney must further amass a total of 125 points through such activities as: handling an appeal on behalf of an appellant (5 points); handling an appeal on behalf of a respondent (4 points); preparing a petition for an extraordinary writ filed in an appellate court (3 points); preparing a petition for review in the California Supreme Court (4 or 2 points, depending on prior involvement in the case).
Additionally, certified appellate specialists must be recertified every five years by showing continued substantial involvement in appellate law (by accumulating 63 points) and substantial hours of special appellate education
For more information on the State Bar certified specialist program, please go to: