Legal Specialization

What is the Legal Specialization Program?

The Board of Legal Specialization, created by the North Carolina State Bar, began certifying North Carolina lawyers as board certified 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. 

North Carolina's legal specialization program conforms to the standards established by the American Bar Association. The North Carolina program is one of only 19 state legal certification programs in the United States.

In What Specialties Can Attorneys Be Certified as a Legal Specialist?

Currently, the board certifies lawyers in 15 areas of law:

• appellate practice

• bankruptcy law (including subspecialties in consumer bankruptcy law and business bankruptcy law)

• child welfare law

• criminal law (including specialties in state and federal criminal law and juvenile delinquency law)

• elder law

• employment law

• estate planning and probate law

• family law

• immigration law

• privacy and information security law

• real property (including subspecialties in residential real property law and commercial real property law)

• social security disability law

• trademark law

• utilities law

• workers’ compensation law.