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    Hours:

    Monday - Friday

    8AM - 4:30PM - Central

    Saturday & Sunday - Closed

     
    Address:

    1321 Murfreesboro Pike, Suite 810 

    Nashville, TN 37217

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    Tel - 615-741-3096

    Fax - 615-532-2477

     

     

     

     

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.

  

For information on the requirements for certification by the national agencies and their costs, contact:

 

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

 
National Board of Trial Advocacy and National Board of Social Security Disability Advocacy
200 Stonewall Blvd., Suite 1
Wrentham, MA 02093
(508)384-6565
Toll Free: (866)384-6565
Fax: (508)384-8022
www.nbtanet.org
 

Consumer & Business Bankruptcy, Creditors Rights Law:

 
American Board of Certification
66 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 600
Alexandria, VA 22314
(319)365-2222
Toll Free: (877)365-2221
Fax: (319)363-0127
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 
 

Elder Law:

 
National Elder Law Foundation
1604 N. Country Club Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85716
(520)881-1076
www.nelf.org
 

Estate Planning:

 
Estate Law Specialist Board, Inc.  (an attorney-run subsidiary of the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils)
1120 Chester Avenue, Suite 470
Cleveland, OH 44114
Phone: (866) 226-2224
Fax: (216) 696-2582
E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.naepc.org
 

Accounting, Legal and Medical Malpractice:

 
American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys
34 Connie Dr. 32327
Crawfordville, FL 32326
(850)528-7137
Fax: (850)926-8477
www.abpla.org
 

DUI Defense:

 
National College of DUI Defense
445 S, Decatur Street
Montgomery, AL 36104
(334)264-1950
www.ncdd.com
 

Juvenile Law - Child Welfare:

 
National Association of Counsel for Children
13123 E. 16th Ave. B390
Aurora, CO 80045
(303)864-5359
Fax: (303)864-5351
http://www.naccchildlaw.org
 
  
After certification by one of the above organizations, a Tennessee attorney should contact the Commission to become registered on the Roll of Certified Specialists. As a registered board certified specialist you owe an annual registration fee to the Commission. These fees are in addition to any fees charged by the national agencies.
 
To advertise as a certified specialist, an attorney must be certified by a national certification agency. Attorneys who are not certified must disclose that fact in any unsolicited communication to a prospective client, such as yellow pages or newspaper ads, radio or TV commercials or direct mail pieces. The applicable provisions of Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC) 7.4 apply. Also see Comment 3 to the RPC 7.4.
 
For more information please contact the Commission at the number shown on this website.

 

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