Certification by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization

All of our partners are certified practitioners by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Michael D. Miller and Scott J. Davenport are Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law and James B. Lewis is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law.

What does "Board Certified" mean?

The Texas Board of Legal Specialization has established a voluntary designation program for attorneys and legal assistants. The initial certification is valid for a period of five years. Attorneys and legal assistants must apply for recertification every five years and meet substantial involvement, peer review and continuing legal education requirements for their specialty area, if they are to retain their certification. Less than 30% of the attorneys in Texas are Board Certified.

Board certifications are by practice area. To obtain the certification of the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, an attorney must have:

• Practice law for at least five years;
• Devote a required percentage of practice to a specialty area for at least three years;
• Handle a variety of matters in the area of specialization, in order to demonstrate experience and involvement;
• Attend continuing legal education seminars regularly to keep specialty training up-to-date;
• Be evaluated by other lawyers and by judges;
• Pass a 6-hour written examination.

For general questions on Board Certification, see the Web site for the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (http://tbls.org/FAQs/General.asp)