These Web pages are designed to assist attorneys who want to become certified as legal specialists and for members of the public who are trying to find information about attorneys who are certified legal specialists. They are also a resource for attorneys who have already become Board Certified Workers' Compensation Specialists.

The idea of certifying experts in particular specialty areas is most often seen in the medical profession where board certification has been the practice for many years. The Rules Committee of the Superior Court created a similar mechanism for the certification of legal specialists in Connecticut when it adopted Rules 7.4A and B of the Rules of Professional Conduct. Under these rules, all certification programs must be approved by the Legal Specialization Screening Committee and ultimately, by the Rules Committee. This approval process insures that our program, and the other certification programs in Connecticut, meet certain rigorous standards.

To date, the Rules Committee has approved programs to certify attorneys as legal specialists in Connecticut in only six specialty areas. They are the National Board of Trial Advocacy for civil trial practice and criminal law; the American Board of Certification for business bankruptcy and consumer bankruptcy; the National Association of Counsel for Children for child welfare law; and the Connecticut Bar Association's Standing Committee on Workers' Compensation for workers' compensation law.

Attorneys who have become certified as legal specialists have satisfied strict requirements, including devoting a substantial percentage of their practice to the specialty area; participating in continuing legal education activities; obtaining satisfactory references from other attorneys attesting to their competence and ethical reputation; and passing a one day written exam in the specialty field. Certified attorneys must continue to comply with these standards during the period of their certification.