How do lawyers set themselves apart from the rest of the crowd? One way is to become a certified specialist in an area of law in which you concentrate. Indiana allows you to hold yourself out as a “specialist” so long as you fulfill certain qualifications. Indiana currently recognizes nine different certifications—Business Bankruptcy, Consumer Bankruptcy, Creditors Rights, Civil Trial Law, Criminal Trial Law, Civil Practice Advocacy, Elder Law, Family Law, and Trust and Estate Law. 

Two of those certifications—Family Law and Trust and Estate Law—are available through, respectively, the Family & Juvenile Law Section and the Trust and Estate Section of the Indiana State Bar Association. To qualify as a specialist, you must apply for certification, provide peer references from judges or magistrates in front of whom you have appeared and from attorneys who can attest to your competence, verify you have malpractice insurance, take an examination, and fulfill certain other specific requirements, such as certifying that you devote one third to half of your practice to that specialty.

So how can all of this help you? Todd Glass, who has been a certified trust and estate specialist since 2007, says, “I have enjoyed developing a rapport with a state-wide community of fellow specialists that are quite helpful and eager to share their knowledge. We represent a referral network that aids and assists in finding the best results for our respective clients…The certification process undeniably affects and benefits your practice by attracting clients and colleague referrals. My practice has grown in the number and quality of clients every year since first being certified.”

Patricia McKinnon, who is certified in family law, says, “I look at the Family Law Certification as proof of a higher standard of legal knowledge. We’ve ‘proven’ our understanding of statutes and case law by taking the exam. We ‘prove’ we have a good reputation in our community by obtaining certification since we are required to provide references from magistrates and judges and even opposing counsel….”

Specialization can help in other ways, too. Patricia reports: “I have found obtaining certification also helps in arguing for attorney’s fees. I always put the ‘Family Law Specialist’ designation on my attorney fee affidavits when asking for fees on behalf of a client.” She was also able to raise her hourly rates after obtaining certification and sustain those raised rates.

Both Patricia and Todd believe that certification as a specialist has helped them with referrals. Every lawyer knows that a consistent stream of business is important, and the ability to get good referrals from other lawyers is key.

But what about the exam, you say? If you’re like me, I swore never to take another exam after the bar exam. Not to worry, say the already certified specialists. “In all honesty, practicing in the area of trust and estate law is all the preparation you need to take the exam," Todd says. "Nonetheless, the Trust and Estate Specialty Board offers a customized seminar before each certification exam that reviews all subject matter that may be on the exam.” So fear not—the sections of the ISBA will help prepare you to take the tests to become certified.

If you are interested in not only bettering yourself as a lawyer, but also developing a new network of lawyers to refer to and get referrals from, consider applying to become a certified specialist in Indiana. What better way to make yourself a better lawyer? You certainly won’t regret it.

You can learn more about these two specialties here, or by contacting the Indiana Office of Admission and Continuing Education.