The NBTA is the first American Bar Association-accredited attorney board-certifying agency in the world. Founded in 1977, NBTA offers board certification for trial lawyers, criminal lawyers, family lawyers and social security disability lawyers.

NBTA strives to inform and educate the public about the importance of legal representation by board-certified specialists. Additionally, the organization works to recognize and promote excellence in legal advocacy through a national program that certifies specialists, predicated on high standards of demonstrated competence and integrity.

With less than 4% of all practicing lawyers certified by an ABA-accredited or state-sponsored certification board, board certification is not only highly important to the profession of law but also paramount to consumer protection. In so doing, it differentiates such attorneys for having objectively established their specialized proficiency in the practice of law. A recently negotiated agreement with the Florida Bar requires us to let you know that if you choose to advertise your NBTA Board Certification the advertisement must also state not certified by the Florida Bar.

Similar to the medical profession in which the body of knowledge is so large that it’s impossible for one doctor to remain current in all specialty areas, the body of law has grown so large and complex that attorneys can no longer be all things to all people.

Enter the idea of legal specialization. Unlike the medical profession, which has embraced specialization and specialty certification, the legal arena has been slow to acknowledge publicly what it has known for years: nearly all lawyers specialize but do so without substantiation beyond “reputation” or simply saying it is so.

NBTA offers specialization certification in the following areas:

  • Civil Trial
  • Criminal Law
  • Family Law
  • Social Security Disability Law

Certificate holders undergo a thorough screening of their credentials, including:

  • Documentation of their experience
  • Judicial and peer references
  • An exam

Additionally, they must report all disciplinary matters brought before any official body, whether public or private, for scrutiny by the NBTA Standards Committee.