Certification of Specialists in Tennessee
After certification by one of the below organizations, a Tennessee attorney must contact the Commission to become registered on the Roll of Certified Specialists. As a registered board certified specialist you owe an annual registration fee to the Commission. These fees are in addition to any fees charged by the national agencies.
Supreme Court Rule 21, Section 11 states:
11.01 Lawyers licensed to practice law in Tennessee may be certified as being a legal specialist by any organization that has been accredited by the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates to award specialist certifications to lawyers.
11.02 Each lawyer who has received a certification as a specialist shall register the certification with the Commission. The Commission shall confirm that the certification presented by the specialist has been issued from an organization that has been accredited by the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates to award specialist certifications to lawyers. However, the Commission shall have no authority to certify any lawyer practicing in this State as being a specialist in any area of law.
To advertise as a certified specialist, an attorney must be certified by a national certification agency. Attorneys who are not certified must disclose that fact in any unsolicited communication to a prospective client, such as yellow pages or newspaper ads, radio or TV commercials or direct mail pieces. The applicable provisions of Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC) 7.4 apply. Also see Comment 3 to the RPC 7.4.
For new attorneys, the certification period runs from July 1 to June 20. For attorneys are already registered, the Commission sends a renewal notice each May for the following annual period, which begins July 1 each year.
For more information, please contact Jennifer Gilliam via email or at 615-741-3096. Specialization is governed by Section 11 of Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 21.
For information on requirements for national agency certification & costs, contact:
Accounting, Legal and Medical Malpractice:
American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys
34 Connie Dr. 32327
Crawfordville, FL 32326
(850)528-7137
Fax: (850)926-8477
www.abpla.org
Civil & Criminal Trial, Civil Pretrial Practice Law,
Family Law, Social Security Disability Law:
National Board of Trial Advocacy and National Board of Social Security Disability Advocacy
200 Stonewall Blvd., Suite 1
Wrentham, MA 02093
(508)384-6565
Toll Free: (866)384-6565
Fax: (508)384-8022
www.nbtanet.org
Consumer & Business Bankruptcy, Creditors Rights Law:
American Board of Certification
66 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 600
Alexandria, VA 22314
(319)365-2222
Toll Free: (877)365-2221
Fax: (319)363-0127
www.abcworld.org
Email: director@abcworld.org
DUI Defense:
National College of DUI Defense
445 S, Decatur Street
Montgomery, AL 36104
(334)264-1950
www.ncdd.com
Elder Law:
National Elder Law Foundation
1604 N. Country Club Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85716
(520)881-1076
www.nelf.org
Estate Planning:
Estate Law Specialist Board, Inc. (an attorney-run subsidiary of the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils)
1120 Chester Avenue, Suite 470
Cleveland, OH 44114
Phone: (866) 226-2224
Fax: (216) 696-2582
E-Mail: admin@naepc.org
www.naepc.org
Juvenile Law – Child Welfare:
National Association of Counsel for Children
899 N. Logan Street, Suite 208
Denver, CO 80203
(303)864-5320
www.naccchildlaw.org
Privacy Law
International Association for Privacy Professionals
Pease International Tradeport
75 Rochester Ave.
Portsmouth, NH 03801
(603) 427-9200
