<p> 9 AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION STANDING COMMITTEE ON SPECIALIZATION</p><p>INFORMATIONAL REPORT TO THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES</p><p>The ABA Standing Committee on Specialization works with all United States jurisdictions on implementing the policy of ABA Model Rule 7.4(d). That provision permits lawyers to publicly claim certification as specialist practitioners without any limitation if they are certified by a program accredited by the ABA or approved by their licensing jurisdiction. We provide a vital resource to the jurisdictions in implementing their regulatory schemes, both by supplying the historical context and evolution of that rule and its underlying polices, as well as by offering a nationwide perspective of the regulation of lawyer specialty certification. </p><p>The Standing Committee continues to support ABA membership growth and retention by providing a benefit for lawyers seeking board certification, most of whom are solo and small firm practitioners. Through support of the Standing Committee and its work as an accrediting body, the ABA is demonstrating its commitment to its members, particularly the lawyers who have chosen to enhance their practice by seeking and achieving board certification. The Standing Committee seeks to work cooperatively with the General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Division, the Young Lawyers Division and specialty sections, and to keep them informed of the Standing Committee’s work and the value of board certification as a credential. For those past efforts and its plans for future similar efforts, the Standing Committee received favorable feedback from the Board of Governors’ Program, Evaluation and Planning Committee on submission of the Standing Committee’s fiscal year 2012-2013 Plan.</p><p>There are currently thirteen lawyer certification programs approved by the House of Delegates and accredited by the Standing Committee: The American Board of Certification’s programs in (1) business bankruptcy, (2) consumer bankruptcy and (3) creditors’ rights; the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification’s programs in (4) civil trial advocacy, (5) criminal law trial advocacy, (6) family law trial advocacy and (7) social security disability law; the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys’ programs in (8) legal professional liability and (9) medical professional liability; the Estate Law Specialist Board, Inc.’s program in (10) estate planning law; the National Elder Law Foundation’s program in (11) elder law; the National Association of Counsel for Children’s program in (12) juvenile law-child welfare, and the National College for DUI Defense, Inc.’s program in (13) DUI defense law.</p><p>The Standing Committee makes information available through its web site that, since the re-imaging of the entire ABA web site, has been hosted among the web pages of the ABA’s Center for Professional Responsibility. The web site provides information on the Standing Committee, state regulation of the marketing of lawyer specialty certification, generally, as well as specific information and web links to state and private certification programs. The Standing Committee publishes the Concise Guide to Lawyer Specialty Certification and makes it available, free of charge, via PDF download on our website. The Guide helps specialty bar associations and section leaders determine whether to create a certification program and the steps to doing so. The Standing Committee will continue to update and market this publication.</p><p>The Standing Committee also hosts a listserv and sponsors a quarterly “Certification Forum” teleconference. Through the Forum and listserv, administrators and regulators of the several jurisdictions’ specialty certification programs and officers of the various private certification organizations are able to air ideas for cooperative enhancement of their programs, identify issues and problems confronting certification programs, and communicate with Standing Committee members and ABA staff to help direct their efforts to promote lawyer specialty certification on a national level.</p><p>1 9 In the coming year, the Standing Committee will continue to collect statistical information concerning specialization and lawyer certification. The primary mode of data collection is the Committee’s annual certification census, which is sent to all of the ABA accredited programs and to state sponsored certification programs. There has been one hundred percent participation in the survey since its inception in 1994. </p><p>The Committee will sponsor its 26th annual educational conference, the National Roundtable on Lawyer Specialty Certification in Tampa, Florida, March 29-31, 2012. </p><p>Respectfully submitted,</p><p>Timothy B. Walker, Chair February 2012</p><p>2</p>