West Palm Beach - Charles D. Jamieson of West Palm Beach is among the lawyers who recently earned Florida Bar board certification. Board certification evaluates attorneys' special knowledge, skills and proficiency in various areas of law and professionalism and ethics in practice. Charles D. Jamieson is board certified in Marital and Family Law.
Certified attorneys are the only Florida lawyers allowed to identify or advertise themselves as specialists or experts.
"Florida's board certification program is one of the leaders in the nation in maintaining the highest standards for excellence and professionalism while adding practice areas for greater public access to legal specialists," said Florida Bar President John G. "Jay" White, III. "The program is predicated on experience and integrity, the foundations that are inseparable from our work as lawyers to advance the administration of justice."
Certification is the highest level of evaluation by The Florida Bar of the competency and experience of attorneys in areas of law approved for certification by the Supreme Court of Florida. Florida currently offers 22 specialty areas of practice for which board certification is available, the greatest number of state-approved certification areas in the nation.
A lawyer who is a member in good standing of The Florida Bar and who meets the standards prescribed by the state's Supreme Court may become board certified in one or more of the 22 certification fields. Only 4,300 of Florida's 80,000 lawyers are board certified. Minimum requirements for certification are listed below; each area of certification may contain higher or additional standards.
- A minimum of five years in law practice
- Substantial involvement in the field of law for which certification is sought
- A passing grade on the examination required of all applicants
- Satisfactory peer review assessment of competence in the specialty field as well
as character, ethics and professionalism in the practice of law
- Satisfaction of the certification area's continuing legal education requirements
Board certification is valid for five years. The attorney during that time must continue to practice law and attend Florida Bar-approved continuing legal education courses. Recertification requirements are similar to those for initial certification. Not all qualified lawyers are certified, but those who are board certified have taken the extra steps to have their competence and experience evaluated.
For more information, please visit The Florida Bar Web site at Floridabar.org/certification or contact The Florida Bar's Legal Specialization & Education Department at 850/561-5842.
To schedule a phone interview or an in-person interview with Mr. Jamieson at his West Palm Beach office, call Doris Johnson at 561-478-0312 ext 301, or e-mail her at djohnson@cjamiesonlaw.com.
