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Why might your attorney’s ‘Board Certification’ be important to your family law case?

On Behalf of | Jan 29, 2018 | Firm News

“Certification is the Florida Bar’s highest level of evaluation of competency and experience…”

– The Florida Bar

First, we should qualify that it is absolutely not necessary for your divorce attorney to be board certified – but can board certification make a difference in your case?

Absolutely.

Most lawyers are not board certified in their areas of practice. In fact, a tiny percentage of all lawyers in Florida have earned board certification. Here are the numbers: Fewer than 5,000 out of all 100,000 Florida lawyers have earned certification. In marital and family law specifically, that number falls to just shy of 300.

Does this mean non-certified attorneys are incapable of providing great service? Of course not – most lawyers work very hard for their clients, day in and day out, and board certification certainly isn’t a prerequisite to being a good lawyer.

However, board certification does tell you something about the lawyer who has earned it.

What does it mean to be Board Certified?

When we say attorney Daniel Forrest is Board Certified in Marital and Family Law, you can be confident that he has met the following requirements:

  • At least five years of direct practice experience handling all types of divorce and family law matters, including settlements, trials, and appeals
  • Peer review that confirms, through other members of the legal community, Mr. Forrest’s competence, character, ethics, and professionalism
  • Successful board exam passage (this is different from the bar exam)

As per the quote at top of this post, board certification indicates that Mr. Forrest is competent and experienced, and can justifiably hold himself out as a “Board Certified Specialist,” as does a board certified physician in a given medical specialty.

It means that you’re in good hands

Florida’s board certification program has been around for more than three decades, starting in 1982, and it gives attorneys the opportunity to go above and beyond by “proving” (an apt word) that they have achieved the highest level of competency and experience, as formally evaluated by the Florida Bar.

The LAW OFFICES OF FORREST & Forrest, PLLC is proud to count Mr. Forrest as among the relative few Florida lawyers who are Board Certified in Marital and Family Law.

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The LAW OFFICES OF FORREST & Forrest, PLLC represents individuals in Fort Lauderdale in high-asset divorce matters. Daniel Forrest is board-certified family lawyer and mediator serving the South Florida area.

  • The Florida Bar | Board Certified | Marital & Family Law
  • AV Preeminent | Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Ratings
  • Super Lawyers | Rising Star | Daniel Forrest | SuperLawyers.com
  • Avvo Rating | 10.0 Superb | Top Attorney Family