.1718 Privileges Conferred and Limitations Imposed

The board in the implementation of this plan shall not alter the following privileges and responsibilities of certified specialists and other lawyers.

(1) No standard shall be approved which shall in any way limit the right of a certified specialist to practice in all fields of law. Subject to the Rules of Professional Conduct, any lawyer, alone or in association with any other lawyer, shall have the right to practice in all fields of law, even though he or she is certified as a specialist in a particular field of law.

(2) No lawyer shall be required to be certified as a specialist in order to practice in the field of law covered by that specialty. Subject to the Rules of Professional Conduct, any lawyer, alone or in association with any other lawyer, shall have the right to practice in any field of law, or advertise his or her availability to practice in any field of law consistent with the Rules of Professional Conduct, even though he or she is not certified as a specialist in that field.

(3) All requirements for and all benefits to be derived from certification as a specialist are individual and may not be fulfilled by nor attributed to the law firm of which the specialist may be a member.

(4) Participation in the program shall be on a completely voluntary basis.

(5) A lawyer may be certified as a specialist in no more than two fields of law.

(6) When a client is referred by another lawyer to a lawyer who is a recognized specialist under this plan on a matter within the specialist's field of law, such specialist shall not take advantage of the referral to enlarge the scope of his or her representation and, consonant with any requirements of the Rules of Professional Conduct, such specialist shall not enlarge the scope of representation of a referred client outside the area of the specialty field.

(7) Any lawyer certified as a specialist under this plan shall be entitled to advertise that he or she is a "Board Certified Specialist" in his or her specialty to the extent permitted by the Rules of Professional Conduct.

History Note: Authority G.S. 84‑23;

Readopted Eff. December 8, 1994;

Amendments Approved by the Supreme Court: December 14, 2021.