Frequently Asked Questions

Board certification is a credential granted by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS) to attorneys who have demonstrated special competence in a specific area of law. To earn it, an attorney must meet rigorous requirements including substantial experience in the specialty area, advanced continuing legal education, a formal peer review process involving judges and fellow attorneys, and passage of a comprehensive written examination. It is the only credential in Texas that permits an attorney to call themselves a "specialist" or "expert" in a specific area of law.

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. TBLS has held this role since it was established in 1974.

No. Only about 6% to 8% of all licensed attorneys in Texas hold board certification. Texas has more than 118,000 active attorneys, and approximately 7,200 of them are board certified. The credential is voluntary, and the standards are intentionally demanding.

No. Any attorney who holds a valid Texas law license can practice in any area of law. Board certification is an optional credential that goes beyond the baseline licensing requirement. It is designed to help the public identify attorneys who have demonstrated a higher level of competence in a specific area.

TBLS currently recognizes 28 specialty areas for attorneys and 8 specialty areas for paralegals. These range from Criminal Law and Family Law to more specialized areas such as Aviation Law, Oil, Gas and Mineral Law, and Construction Law. You can review all 28 areas on our Specialty Areas page.

The general requirements include at least five years of full-time law practice, substantial involvement in the specialty area for a minimum of three to five years, completion of at least 60 hours of TBLS-approved continuing legal education in the specialty area within the three years before applying, positive peer evaluations from at least five qualified references (including judges and opposing counsel), and passage of a rigorous written examination specific to the specialty area.

The certification exam is a daylong written test that covers advanced applications of the law in the specific specialty area. It is designed to test not just basic knowledge but the kind of nuanced, practical understanding that comes from years of concentrated practice. It is widely considered one of the most challenging professional examinations in the legal field.

As part of the application, the attorney must provide references from at least five qualified attorneys, including judges and opposing counsel. TBLS contacts these references independently and evaluates their assessments of the applicant's competence, ethics, and professional reputation. This is one of the features that most distinguishes board certification from other credentials — it incorporates the perspective of people who have actually witnessed the attorney's work.

Board certification is valid for five years. After that, the attorney must go through a recertification process, which requires demonstrating continued substantial involvement in the specialty area and completing 100 hours of approved specialty CLE during the five-year cycle.

Yes. Some attorneys hold certifications in multiple specialty areas. As of recent data, nearly 1,000 Texas attorneys hold certifications in two areas, and approximately 110 hold certifications in three. A very small number of attorneys hold four or even five certifications.

No. No credential, certification, or qualification can guarantee the outcome of a legal matter. Every case depends on its own facts, circumstances, and the applicable law. Board certification indicates that an attorney has met recognized professional standards in a specific area of law. It is a valuable factor to consider when choosing a lawyer, but it is not a promise of any particular result.

When you are facing a serious legal matter — one that could affect your freedom, your family, your finances, or your future — you want to know that your attorney has demonstrated, verified expertise in the relevant area of law. Board certification provides an objective, independently verified way to evaluate that. It is not a marketing claim or a self-given title. It is a credential earned through a defined process administered by an organization established by the Texas Supreme Court.

Board certification is valuable in any specialty area, but it can be particularly meaningful in high-stakes fields such as criminal defense (where your freedom is at stake), family law (where custody and property division decisions have lasting consequences), personal injury trial law (where the certification specifically requires actual trial experience), and immigration law (where the consequences of errors can be severe and sometimes irreversible).

No. Many excellent attorneys have not pursued board certification. Some practice in areas where no certification category exists. Others may be earlier in their careers and have not yet accumulated the years of experience required. The credential is voluntary, and the absence of it does not mean an attorney lacks skill or dedication. Board certification is one tool — a particularly useful one — for evaluating an attorney's qualifications. It is not the only measure of a good lawyer.

No. Under the rules of the State Bar of Texas, only board certified attorneys are permitted to use the terms "specialist" or "expert" in connection with a specific area of law. Any other attorney can say they "handle" or "focus on" certain types of cases, but the use of "specialist" and "expert" is reserved exclusively for those who have earned the TBLS credential.

You can search the official TBLS directory at tbls.org/findlawyer. This is the authoritative, free, public database maintained by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. If an attorney is listed in the directory under a specific specialty area, their certification has been verified by TBLS.

Yes. The TBLS directory allows you to search by specialty area, attorney name, city, county, or ZIP code. You can also combine criteria to narrow your results.

No. The TBLS directory is free and open to the public. It is a consumer resource maintained by the organization authorized by the Texas Supreme Court.

The official search tool is located at tbls.org/findlawyer. You can also start from our Find a Board Certified Attorney page, which provides guidance on how to use the directory effectively.

No. This is an independent educational resource designed to help the public understand board certification in Texas. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization or the State Bar of Texas. For official information about TBLS, visit tbls.org.

The information on this website is based on publicly available materials from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, the State Bar of Texas, and other published sources about the legal profession in Texas. We strive for accuracy and present board certification as what it is: a valuable credential that can help consumers make more informed decisions. We do not make unsupported claims about board certification guaranteeing results, and we do not suggest that non-certified attorneys are unqualified.