About the Texas Board of Legal Specialization

The Authority Behind Board Certification

The Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS) is the sole organization authorized by the Texas Supreme Court to certify attorneys and paralegals as specialists in specific areas of law. It has held this role since its creation in 1974, making it one of the oldest and most established legal specialization programs in the United States.

TBLS does not sell a product. It administers a professional credentialing process. Its purpose is to help the public identify attorneys who have demonstrated special competence in a defined area of law — and to raise the overall standard of legal practice in the state.

How TBLS Was Established

On July 16, 1974, the Texas Supreme Court issued the Texas Plan for Recognition and Regulation of Specialization in the Law. This order created what was effectively the nation's first comprehensive legal board certification program.

The decision was not arbitrary. It was a response to a growing reality: the law had become too complex for any single attorney to master all of it. As legal practice became more specialized, the public needed a reliable way to identify attorneys with genuine expertise in specific fields. TBLS was created to meet that need.

The organization operates under the continuous jurisdiction and oversight of the Texas Supreme Court. Its stated purpose is the promotion of the availability, accessibility, and quality of attorney services, while simultaneously advancing the standards of the legal profession.

How TBLS Is Governed

TBLS is governed by a twelve-member board appointed by the President of the State Bar of Texas, with the approval of the State Bar's Board of Directors. This governance structure ensures that the standards for certification are set by members of the legal community with practical experience in the profession — not by a commercial entity with a financial incentive.

TBLS is the only organization authorized by the state to award the Certificate of Special Competence, a distinction that carries significant weight in both the public sphere and the professional legal community.

What TBLS Does

TBLS performs several core functions:

• Sets certification standards.For each of the 28 attorney specialty areas and 8 paralegal specialty areas, TBLS defines the experience requirements, education requirements, examination standards, and peer review criteria that applicants must meet.
• Administers examinations.TBLS develops and administers the specialty-specific written examinations that are a required part of the certification process. These exams are designed to test advanced legal knowledge and practical application.
• Conducts peer review.TBLS independently contacts the references provided by each applicant — judges, opposing counsel, and fellow attorneys — to assess the applicant's competence, ethics, and professional reputation.
• Manages recertification.Every five years, board certified attorneys must demonstrate that they continue to meet the standards for their specialty. TBLS oversees this process to ensure the credential remains current and meaningful.
• Maintains a public directory.TBLS operates a free, searchable directory at tbls.org/findlawyer where anyone can search for a board certified attorney by specialty area, name, city, county, or ZIP code. This directory is the authoritative source for verifying an attorney's board certification status.