Requirements During Certification and Recertification

The period of certification as a board certified specialist is five years. During each year of certification, a specialist must remain substantially involved in the specialty practice area and take the required number of CLE credit hours for the specialty practice area. An explanation of the requirements (or "Standards") for recertification in each specialty is found here.

Continuing Legal Education

Specialists should pay close attention to the CLE requirements for continued certification. The CLE standard for some specialties requires the applicant to obtain a minimum number of CLE credit hours in topics in the specialty (or related fields) in each of the five years prior to applying for recertification. In addition, “rollover” of CLE credits from one calendar year to the next is NOT allowed to satisfy the CLE requirements for recertification.

Annual Fee

To retain certification, an annual fee of $150 must be paid each year. Specialists are emailed a reminder on July 1. The annual fee is due on September 30. The annual fee is waived during any year in which a specialist must apply for recertification, and those specialists will not be invoiced for the annual fee during their recertification year. Failure to pay the annual fee can result in revocation of certification.

Recertification Standards

Summaries of the standards for continued certification ("recertification") by specialty practice area are found here. Additional provisions may apply.