FAQs

See 27 NCAC 1D, Sections .1700 through .2700.

Many lawyers limit their practices to certain areas of law. However, a lawyer may not claim that he or she is a "specialist" unless the lawyer is certified as a specialist by the North Carolina State Bar's Board of Legal Specialization or a certifying organization that has been approved by the American Bar Association. See Rule 7.4 of the Revised Rules of Professional Conduct of the North Carolina State Bar.

Certification of lawyers as specialists by an objective entity and according to objective criteria fulfills the mission of the State Bar to protect the public by providing relevant, truthful, and reliable information to consumers of legal services. Certification helps consumers to identify lawyers who have experience and skill in a certain area of practice. Certification also helps lawyers by encouraging them to improve their expertise in particular areas of practice and providing them with a legitimate way of informing the public and other lawyers of this expertise.

The specialization program is administered by the Board of Legal Specialization, a standing committee of the State Bar that was created in 1985.

Although the requirements vary from one specialty area to the next, the minimum standards for certification as a specialist include the following:

Bankruptcy law (including subspecialties in consumer bankruptcy law and business bankruptcy law); criminal law (including subspecialties in state criminal law and appellate criminal law); family law; estate planning and probate law; immigration law; real property (including subspecialties in residential real property law and commercial real property law): workers' compensation law; and social security disability law. The standards for certification in these practice areas are set forth in 27 NCAC 1D, Sections .2100 through .2700.

The initial application must be accompanied by a check for $250. If approved to sit for the examination, the applicant must pay a $100 examination fee.

The certification applications are included in the forms section of this website. You may also request an application by calling Joyce Lindsay at the State Bar at (919) 828-4620.

Certification is effective for five years. At the end of five years, a specialist must apply for recertification. There is a $250 fee for recertification. The standards for recertification are similar to the standards for initial certification but no written examination is required.

The recertification applications are included in the forms section of this website. You may also request a recertification application by calling Joyce Lindsay at the State Bar at (919) 828-4620.

Yes, there is a $50 annual fee.

You may call Alice Mine, director of the specialization program, Denise Mullen, assistant director, or Joyce Lindsay, Ms. Mine's assistant, at (919) 828-4620.