Now Accepting Applications for Certification!
The Board of Legal Specialization is accepting applications for certification until June 30, 2013.
Certification information
Application forms
Questions? Contact Denise Mullen at dmullen@ncbar.gov or 919-828-4620 x255.
Congratulations to our new specialists!
These lawyers were certified by the North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization on November 20, 2012.
2013 Directory of Legal Specialists
Board of Legal Specialization Awards
Click here to read about the 2013 recipients - Robert Ponton, John Tyson, and John Narron.
Notice to Specialists Eligible for Recertification
in 2013
Specialists who were recertified or certified for the first time in 2008 must renew their certifications this year. Click here for additional information.
The Board of Legal Specialization was created in 1983 by the North Carolina State Bar and began certifying North Carolina lawyers as legal specialists in 1987. The Board was established to create a method by which qualified North Carolina lawyers might become certified as specialists in designated areas of the law. The goals of the legal certification program are twofold.
First, the program assists in the delivery of legal services to the public by identifying to the public those lawyers who have demonstrated special knowledge, skill, and proficiency in a specific field. By identifying these lawyers, members of the public can more closely match their needs with available services.
Second, the legal specialization program seeks to improve the competency of members of the bar by establishing an additional incentive for lawyers to participate in continuing legal education and to meet other requirements of specialization.
The North Carolina State Bar Specialization Program conforms to the standards set forth by the American Bar Association. The legal certification program in North Carolina is one of only 18 state legal certification programs in the United States.
Currently, the board certifies lawyers in 11 areas of law: appellate practice, bankruptcy law, criminal law (including juvenile delinquency), elder law, estate planning and probate law, family law, immigration law, real property law, social security disability law, trademark law (new in 2013!) and workers' compensation law.
Lawyers Interested in Creating New
Specialty Area
The History of Legal Specialization
Learn more about the history of the NC State Bar specialization program by reading the State Bar Journal issue devoted to the program’s 20th anniversary.