1. HOME
2.  » NEWS
3.  » eNews Archive
4.  » 2011 eNews Archive
5.  » March 2011
6.  » Tips For Young Lawyers

Tips For Young Lawyers

TBLS WANTS YOU!
By:  Gary McNeil

The Texas Board of Legal Specialization was established in 1974 by the Supreme Court of Texas to administer a program under which attorneys with sufficient experience, continuing legal education and education in a specific area of law could become “Board Certified” in that area and advertise the certification. The goals of the program were to recognize expertise and encourage ongoing study in a specialty area and to provide the public with a means of identifying a capable attorney in that area.

Applicants for certification must be licensed active members in good standing of the State Bar of Texas, maintain an office in Texas, have been practicing for at least five years, have met minimum practice requirements in the area, have completed at least 60 hours of continuing legal education in the area and obtain favorable peer review.

The Texas Board of Legal Specialization is accepting certification application applications for 2011. You can find the specific requirements for each specialty area at www.tbls.org.

Some helpful tips:

Verification of Identity – To enter some areas on the site you will be required to enter your bar card number and PIN/Password which you have on file with the State Bar.

For Information – After you log on, select “Get Certified” to find information about fees and the experience requirements and exam specifications for the area(s) in which you are interested.

For CLE Hours – You can quickly see how much qualifying CLE you have in a specialty area by selecting “TBLS CLE Summary Report”. This will reflect all activity you have reported to the MCLE Department for the specialty area in question.

NOTE: After you have done this, decide if you have the necessary experience to apply in 2011. If you feel you do not, make a copy of the application so you can see what information is required for the specialty area (trials, appeals, documents, etc.) and create a file which lists that information. You will find this immensely helpful when you apply in the future.

To Apply – You submit your application online. Just select the appropriate “Online Application” and begin completing the required information in the specialty area. Information you enter will be saved and you will be able to access it when you return to the site. The application filing period is typically from February to April each year and examinations are administered in mid-October.
If you have questions, feel free to call us toll free at 1-855-277-TBLS (8257).