Certification of Specialists in Tennessee

BREAKING NEWS:

Effective January 1, 2015, the Commission will no longer approve Tennessee Specialist certifications. Attorneys who hold certifications that expire on June 30, 2015 will continue to be shown on this website until the certification expires. After June 30, 2015 those attorneys will be required to comply with Rule 21; Section 11 regarding the registration of specialists.  Until January 1, 2015, the Commission certified attorneys as specialists in fourteen areas: Civil Trial, Criminal Trial, Consumer Bankruptcy, Business Bankruptcy, Creditors Rights, Accounting Malpractice, Legal Malpractice, Medical Malpractice, Estate Planning, Elder Law, Family Law, Juvenile Law, DUI Defense, and Social Security Disability. 

Rule 21; Section 11. Identification of Specialists. (Effective January 1, 2015)

11.01. Lawyers licensed to practice law in Tennessee may be certified as being a legal-specialist by any organization that has been accredited by the American Bar Association's House of Delegates to award specialist certifications to lawyers.

11.02. Each lawyer who has received a certification as a specialist shall register the certification with the Commission. The Commission shall confirm that the certification presented by the specialist has been issued from an organization that has been accredited by the American Bar Association's House of Delegates to award specialist certifications to lawyers. However, the Commission shall have no authority to certify any lawyer practicing in this State as being a specialist in any area of law.

11.03. Upon confirmation that a lawyer has received a specialist certification from an appropriate certifying organization, the Commission shall record the following information in the form of a Roll of Certified Specialists:

(a) the lawyer's name;

(b) the lawyer's Board of Professional Responsibility registration number;

(c) the state and county in which the lawyer maintains the lawyer's principal office;

(d) the name, address, and current website of the certifying organization;

(e) the area or areas of law in which the lawyer has obtained a specially certification;

and

(f) the date on which the lawyer obtained the specialty certification.

11.04. Each lawyer shall renew the lawyer's registration annually with the Commission and, in so doing, shall represent that the specialty certification remains valid. If a lawyer's certification of specialty has expired, or is withdrawn or revoked for any reason, the lawyer must report such fact to the Commission within fifteen (15) days of the expiration, withdrawal or revocation. If a lawyer fails to renew the specialty certification, or if the lawyer notifies the Commission of the expiration, withdrawal or revocation of a specialty certification, the Commission shall immediately remove the lawyer's information from the Roll of Certified Specialists.

Civil & Criminal Trial, Civil Pretrial Practice Law, Family Law, Social Security Disability Law:

Consumer & Business Bankruptcy, Creditors Rights Law: