Board Certified - What Does that Mean

Earl Jackson is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Family Law. That means he gets to say that he is a specialist. What is Board Certification?

To become Board Certified you first have to do the application to receive permission to sit for the test. The Texas Board of Legal Specialization only allows those attorneys who have undergone a stringent process to sit for the exam. It took about a solid two weeks to gather the materials to prove that I had completed the requisite number of trials, hearings, mediations and appeals to sit for the exam.

After receiving permission to take the exam, I then traveled to Austin to sit for it. It is a very difficult exam covering all topics in the specialty area. The Texas Bar Exam was easy compared to the Board Certification exam. I passed the Texas Board Certification exam on the second try in 2007.

Board Certification is an ongoing event that requires continual practice within the specialty area. In order to continue to hold the distinguished Board Certification, an attorney must also attend substantial continuing legal education coursework that has been approved by the TBLS on an annual basis.