What is a Board-Certified Lawyer?

When you need to hire a lawyer, choosing the right one can be the difference between a great outcome and a possible mistake. Not all lawyers possess the same level of expertise, training, or commitment to their practice areas, which is why finding a board-certified lawyer can give you added confidence that your case is in capable hands. Not every good/competent attorney is Board Certified.  In fact, only about 7% of attorneys in the State of Texas are Board Certified.

But if you are searching for attorneys you don’t know online, then we recommend you choose someone who is Board Certified. What does it mean to be board-certified?

In short, a board-certified lawyer has achieved the highest level of recognition in their field by meeting rigorous standards that go far beyond basic licensing requirements. Board certification serves as a reliable indicator that an attorney has proven competency and dedication to excellence in their specific area of law.

When attorneys fail to meet professional standards, the consequences can be devastating for their clients. If you’re seeking skilled legal counsel or have concerns about the quality of representation you’ve received, contact Ross Sears at (713) 223-3333 to discuss your situation with an experienced professional who understands the importance of lawyer excellence.

What does it mean to be a board-certified lawyer?

Board certification is a voluntary credentialing system administered by state bar associations and national specialty organizations that validates an attorney’s advanced knowledge and skills in specific practice areas. Unlike basic bar admission, which allows lawyers to practice in any area of law, board certification requires attorneys to focus their expertise and prove their proficiency in a particular legal specialty.

The certification process typically requires attorneys to have practiced law for a minimum number of years, with a substantial portion dedicated to their chosen specialty area, while securing endorsements from judges and fellow attorneys who can attest to their competence and ethical standards. In the Personal Injury Board Certification (which includes Legal Malpractice cases), it also requires the attorney to have tried a certain number of trials to a verdict, which is important because it means they have expertise in litigation and trying lawsuits to a verdict, not just settling every case they handle.

Board certification is available in numerous practice areas, including:

• Personal injury
• Criminal law
• Family law
• Estate planning
• Real estate
• Business litigation

Each specialty has its own set of requirements and governing standards intended to make sure that certified attorneys possess deep, current knowledge of the laws, procedures, and best practices specific to their field.

What’s the difference between board-certified and non-board-certified?

The distinction between board-certified and non-board-certified attorneys isn’t necessarily a matter of good versus bad representation. Both types of lawyers can provide excellent legal services, but there are key differences in their credentials, specialization, and demonstrated expertise that clients should understand when evaluating potential counsel.

Criteria	Board-certified lawyer	Non-board-certified lawyer
Experience requirements	Must have substantial experience in the specialty area (typically 5+ years)	May practice in multiple areas with varying levels of experience
Testing standards	Pass rigorous specialty examinations	Pass the general bar examination only
Peer evaluation	Undergo peer review and judicial evaluations	No additional peer review required
Education requirements	Commit to ongoing specialty education requirements	Meet general continuing education requirements
Credential maintenance	Must maintain certification through regular recertification	No additional maintenance requirements
Representation in Texas	Make up less than 5% of attorneys in Texas	Comprise the majority of practicing attorneys
Area of expertise	Demonstrate focused expertise in a specific practice area	May have broader but less specialized knowledge

It’s important to understand that the absence of board certifications doesn’t always indicate poor quality representation. Board certification does, however, provide clients with an objective measure of an attorney’s specialized training and proven track record in their field, which can be valuable when assessing legal counsel for complex matters.

Are board-certified lawyers better?

The question of whether board-certified lawyers are “better” doesn’t have a simple yes or no answer, but it does highlight important considerations about legal representation quality. When looking for an attorney, the key is evaluating whether they have the qualifications and track record appropriate for your case’s complexity and importance.

That said, problems arise when attorneys take on matters beyond their competence or fail to meet professional standards regardless of their certification status. When lawyers lack adequate knowledge of relevant law, miss critical deadlines, fail to investigate facts thoroughly, or provide inadequate counsel, the consequences for clients can be severe.

These failures can constitute legal malpractice, resulting in professional negligence, financial losses, missed opportunities, or adverse legal outcomes that proper representation could have prevented.

The reality is that attorney competence directly impacts case outcomes. While board certification isn’t a guarantee of superior representation, it does provide clients with objective evidence of specialized training and peer recognition. More importantly, when attorneys fall short of professional standards — whether they’re board-certified or not — clients may have legal recourse through suing lawyers who have caused harm through inadequate representation.

Your attorney was in over their head. Now what?

Legal malpractice occurs when an attorney’s performance falls below the standard of care that a reasonably competent lawyer would provide under similar circumstances. When attorneys take on cases beyond their qualifications or fail to refer clients to specialists when needed, they may be liable for the resulting harm.

The question isn’t whether your original attorney was board-certified, but whether they handled your specific matter with the competence of a reasonable and prudent attorney, and whether their shortcomings caused you damages.

Before taking any action, pause and assess the potential damage. Have you suffered financial losses, missed opportunities, or adverse outcomes that proper representation could have prevented? Did your attorney’s lack of expertise result in a poor settlement, an unfavorable judgment, or the loss of your legal rights? These consequences don’t just represent disappointment — they may constitute reasons to sue an attorney.

If you suspect your attorney’s inadequate representation has harmed your interests, a professional malpractice attorney, like Ross Sears of Sears Crawford, can evaluate whether your original lawyer’s performance met professional standards and help you understand your options for seeking compensation for any damages you’ve suffered.

Is it worth suing for legal malpractice?

Legal malpractice cases can be complex and expensive, so it’s essential to understand the different types of legal malpractice — such as failure to meet deadlines, inadequate case preparation, conflicts of interest, or lack of competent representation — and whether your situation fits these criteria.

Not every attorney’s mistake rises to the level of actionable malpractice. If your attorney’s incompetence resulted in substantial financial losses, a missed statute of limitations, or the loss of a viable legal claim, malpractice litigation may be worthwhile. However, these cases require significant time and resources, and you’ll need to prove not only that your original attorney was negligent, but also that you would have achieved a better outcome with competent representation.

Winning these cases isn’t easy. If you or a loved one needs to pursue a legal malpractice claim against a previous attorney, we recommend hiring a board-certified lawyer to take your claim. Ross Sears is board-certified in personal injury law, the area of the law that encompasses legal malpractice, and has been successfully suing lawyers in Texas for more than 30 years. 

Learn more about how to file a complaint against an attorney

Get the skilled advocacy your case deserved from the start

When legal matters don’t go as expected, it’s natural to wonder if the outcome could have been different with more qualified counsel. Whether you needed a board-certified lawyer for your legal malpractice case or an attorney with the right experience and dedication to get it right the first time, the quality of legal representation can make all the difference between success and costly disappointment.

If you believe your attorney’s inadequate representation has harmed your interests, you don’t have to accept those losses as inevitable. Legal malpractice claims exist to protect clients from the consequences of substandard legal services, and pursuing accountability may help you recover the damages you’ve suffered due to professional negligence.

The path forward begins with understanding your options and getting experienced guidance from someone who knows what competent legal representation looks like. Contact Ross Sears at Sears Crawford today at (713) 223-3333 to discuss your situation. Your case may have deserved better the first time — let us help you make it right.

More Helpful Articles by Sears : 

• What To Do When Your Lawyer Stops Communicating With You
• Common Lawyer Conflict of Interest Examples
• 7 Early Signs of Malpractice by a Lawyer
• How Mediation Works in Legal Malpractice Cases in Texas
• What to Do if Your Lawyer Doesn’t Have Legal Malpractice Insurance