“My doctor is Board Certified, can attorneys also be Board Certified?”

I’m Katelyn Holub, an attorney focusing on personal injury law in northwest Indiana.

Welcome to Personal Injury Primer, where we break down the law into simple terms, provide legal tips, and discuss topics related to personal injury law.

Today’s question comes from a listener who asks “I know when you choose a doctor that it is supposed to be important to check to see if the doctor is Board Certified, but what does it mean for an attorney to be Board Certified?”

The attorney board certification process is a little bit similar to medical board certification that medical doctors go through.

However, very few attorneys take the time to qualify to be board certified, or meet the rigorous qualification criteria.

For example, here in a nutshell is what it takes to qualify for Board Certification in Civil Trial Advocacy.

First, the applicant must make a satisfactory showing of substantial in at least forty-five days of trial during which the applicant examined or cross-examined witnesses, delivered an opening statement or closing argument or conducted a voir dire jury examination. During these forty-five or more trial days the applicant must personally have:

1. served as lead counsel in at least five jury cases;
2. substantially participated in at least five jury cases which have proceeded to verdict;
3. conducted direct examination of at least twenty-five lay witnesses;
4. conducted cross-examination of at least twenty-five lay witnesses;
5. conducted direct examination of at least fifteen expert witnesses;
6. conducted cross-examination of at least fifteen expert witnesses;
7. presented at least eight opening statements;
8. presented at least four closing arguments;
9. conducted at least five voir dire jury examinations … .”

Second, the applicant shall also have actively participated in one hundred (100) additional contested matters involving the taking of testimony. This may include trials (jury or non-jury); evidentiary hearings or depositions; and motions heard before or after trial.

There are several other similar requirements that a candidate must meet, but you get the picture.

Oh, and there is also a multi-day written exam that the candidate must pass focusing on trial skills.

As you can see from the requirements for Board Certification above, jury trial experience is a major requirement to certification. The senior member of our firm, David Holub first acquired board certification in 1996, and continues to try many jury trials each year both large and small.

I hope you found this information helpful. If you have questions about your legal rights if you get hurt due to the carelessness of another person, or as a result of substandard medical care, or due to a product defect, construction injury, or any other type of personal injury, please give us a call at (219) 736-9700. You can also learn more about us by visiting our website at www.DavidHolubLaw.com – while there make sure you request a copy of our book “Fighting for Truth”.