Board Certified—Any Better?

Tennessee has a continuing legal education system that allows lawyers to represent that they are board certified as civil or criminal lawyers.

            What does this mean?

1.     The lawyer can represent to the public that they are interested in handling certain types of cases.

2.     The lawyer can represent to the public that they have passed a test that the degree of difficulty is comparable to a law school exam.

3.     The lawyers in Tennessee have complied with the requirements of the National Board of Trial Advocacy prior to January 1, 2015, and after that date may be certified as being a legal specialist by an organization that has been accredited by the American Bar Associations House of Delegates.

            The vast number of lawyers in Tennessee do not become “Board Certified.”  Does this indicated that they are any less qualified to handle the cases with the same efficiency that the self-promoting advertising lawyers claim?  No it does not.

            Before you select a lawyer to represent you who claims to be “Board Certified” be certain to check their entire reputation in the community by talking to more than one attorney or law firm.

            IN ONE OF THEIR RADIO COMMERCIALS THEIR SPOKESPERSON FOR ONE OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISERS IMPLIES THAT BECAUSE TWO ATTORNEYS ARE BOARD CERTFIFIED THAT THEY ARE THE ONLY LAWYERS THAT CAN TAKE YOUR CASE TO COURT.  THIS IS INCORRECT AND IS DECEPTIVE.  ANY LAWYER LICENSED IN TENNESSEE BY THE TENNESSEE SUPREME COURT CAN FILE YOUR CASE IN COURT.

            Tennessee has over 12,000 licensed attorneys.  To date the following number of attorneys have fulfilled the requirement to advertise as specialists:

A.   Business Bankruptcy Specialist—12 in Tennessee                 0 in Chattanooga

B.    Civil Pre-Trial Specialist—71 in Tennessee                            5 in Chattanooga

C.    Civil Trial Specialist—112 in Tennessee                                 10 in Chattanooga

D.   Consumer Bankruptcy Specialist—33 in Tennessee               4 in Chattanooga

E.    Creditor Rights Specialist—6 in Tennessee                            0 in Chattanooga 

F.    Criminal Law Specialist—23 in Tennessee                             1 in Chattanooga

G.   DUI Defense Specialist—1 in Tennessee                               0 in Chattanooga

H.   Elder Law Specialist—15 in Tennessee                                  1 in Chattanooga

I.      Estate Planning Specialist—26 in Tennessee              2 in Chattanooga

J.     Family Law Specialist—12 in Tennessee                                1 in Chattanooga

K.   Juvenile Law Specialist—53 in Tennessee                              3 in Chattanooga

L.    Legal Malpractice Specialist—3 in Tennessee                         0 in Chattanooga

M.  Medical Malpractice Specialist—16 in Tennessee                   0 in Chattanooga

N.   Social Security Specialist—13 in Tennessee                           3 in Chattanooga

            Chattanooga has over 1,200 practicing attorneys.  The overwhelming majority of them are perfectly capable of handling your case without you having to hire a specialist who is suggesting that getting that designation makes them better qualified to be your attorney.

            It is an acceptable method of soliciting your business but it does not guarantee any better results than a non-certified attorney.

            Talk to several attorneys before you make a selection to handle a legal matter.

We encourage you to buy local products and hire local, reputable attorneys!