Of all the licensed attorneys in Kings County, only 3 have been designated as Certified Specialists in Family Law by State Bar of the California. This accreditation is awarded every two years to only a select group of attorneys who satisfy a very high standard of professionalism and demonstrate extraordinary levels of knowledge and expertise to the California Board of Legal Specialization. In order to be designated a Certified Family Law Specialist by the State Bar of California, the lawyer must fulfill the following requirements:

• Engage in the specific area of law for at least 5 years
• Devote at least 25% of his or her practice to family law
• Be an active member of the State Bar of California
• Pass an extensive and detailed written exam
• Demonstrate a high level of experience and achievement
• Complete a minimum of 45 hours of specialized continuing education in Family Law
• Be in favorable standing with peers and judges

Once a certification is awarded, the attorney must maintain a high level of professionalism and be re-certified every five years. The process of certification and re-certification takes many months as the Board of Certification scrutinizes each attorney before awarding or renewing certification. The end result is that only a small percentage of attorneys ever achieve a specialist certification.

In order to ensure that the public is protected from attorneys who claim to be experts, but are not, the State Bar of California has strict rules that restrict attorneys’ ability to make such claims. For example, only attorneys who have been certified by the State Bar may refer to themselves as “experts” or use certain terms in their advertising or on their websites, including words such as “specialist” or “specialized.” Violations of this rule can lead to an attorney losing his or her license to practice law.

With such rigid standards and rules, the public can be assured that when they hire a certified specialist, the attorney is not only highly qualified, but also well-respected and professional. Clients of Brian N. Chase can know that their attorney is, in fact, an expert and that he is viewed as such by his peers and by the judges who will decide your case. He has been certified by the State Bar of California as a specialist in Family Law and is a member of the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists, a statewide organization dedicated to improving the family law itself, as well as the court system within which it is applied. He will know the law as it applies to every facet of your case and be able to give you the best advice possible. This will become immediately clear to you during your free initial consultation that he offers every new client.