The rules that govern the certified legal specialization program are contained in Rules of the State Bar, Title 3, Division 2, Chapter 2. You can see the entire chapter on the State Bar website.
These rules apply to all applicants, certified specialists, and recertifying specialists.
Each of the 11 legal specialties also has its own set of standards under the rules. specialty. Current certified specialists can also read the standards in the recertification application. Candidates can find the rules in the post-exam application. They lay out the requirements and show what you will file after you successfully complete the examination.
These standards must be read in conjunction with the rules. If there is a conflict between the rules and the article, the rules control.
Note: Effective Jan. 1, 2014, the rules governing Legal Specialization were reorganized to conform to the new organizational structure of the Rules of the State Bar. Because the current rules structure was adopted in July 2007, all rules including the certified specialization rules are dated July 2007 in the header.
If you wish to apply for certification through one of our national certifying partners, please contact that partner directly. You can learn more about the partners and their areas of certification on the Certified Specialist Search webpage under the heading "Accredited organizations."
Department of Legal Specialization State Bar of California 180 Howard St. San Francisco, CA 94105 Phone: 415-538-2120Fax: 415-538-2180 legalspec@calbar.ca.gov