The Real Property Section of the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) has launched the Residential Real Estate Specialist Certification program to help the public identify attorneys who have demonstrated expertise in the area of residential real estate law based on their competence, experience, and skills. The Legal Specialization Screening Committee and the Rules Committee of the Connecticut Superior Court approved the CBA’s certification program in December of 2018 to raise the level of practice in this area of law.
“It is with great pride that we announce, after considerable time and effort, the launch of our Residential Real Estate Specialist Certification Program. We have reached this point as a result of years of hard work on the part of our committee members and the ongoing support of the Real Property Section, the Workers’ Compensation Section, and the Connecticut Bar Association as a whole,” said Edward M. Rosenblatt, chair of the Standing Committee on Residential Real Estate Certification, the committee responsible for administering the program. “We look forward to providing all those who seek this important certification with all of the information and support they may require.”
Attorneys who wish to achieve the five-year Board Certified Residential Real Estate Specialist designation must:
- Demonstrate that no less than 25 percent of their total practice has been in the area of residential real estate law;
- Have been engaged in the practice of law in Connecticut for at least five years and be a member in good standing of each bar in which the attorney is admitted;
- Maintain an errors and omissions policy with minimum limits of $1,000,000 per claim;
- Have a satisfactory disciplinary and malpractice history;
- Accumulate a minimum of 36 hours of continuing legal education activities in the area of residential real estate law, including at least four hours of ethics in the three years prior to filing the application;
- Have a minimum of five references from other attorneys or judges knowledgeable regarding the applicant’s practice and competence; and
- Pass a one-day written examination.
The first Residential Real Estate Specialist Certification exam will be held on February 28, 2020. Notice of intent to apply is due by October 10, 2019 and applications are due by December 2, 2019. The Residential Real Estate Examining Committee, chaired by Lisa J. Lugauskas, will review the applications and administer the exam.
For more information regarding the Residential Real Estate Specialist Certification program and to apply, visit ctbar.org/RRESpecialist or contact the program’s staff advisor, Phanny Cahill, at pcahill@ctbar.org.
The Real Property Section promotes the educational and professional objectives of the CBA within the field of real property law; provides a forum for the exchange of information and ideas relative to real property issues, concerns, and transactions, both residential and commercial; and welcomes consideration and discussions of issues related to conveyancing, mortgages, land use, title insurance, and other matters of interest to the real estate bar.