What Is a Certified Legal Specialist?

Many of our clients ask, “What does it mean that Evan Sussman is a Certified Specialist in Family Law?”

The Certified Specialist designation is created by the State Bar of California, the same organization that administers the bar examination for lawyers and is responsible for making sure they follow their professional responsibilities.

The State Bar created specialist designations in eleven areas, including Family Law. To earn this designation an attorney must primarily practice family law for at least five years, pass a written exam, fulfill educational requirements that other lawyers don’t need to fulfill, and receive favorable reviews from other lawyers and judges. In California, only lawyers who have earned a designation as a “Certified Specialist” can advertise that they specialize in Family Law.

There are more than 150,000 lawyers who actively practice in California. According to the State Bar of California, as of August 2007, only 1096 are “Certified Specialists in Family Law.”

To speak to a Certified Specialist in Family Law, contact Evan T. Sussman at evan@sussmanlawfirm.com or call us at 310.288.1990.