Ten Years
TBLS Specialty Exams
—
Its Genesis and Now History
Michele
Boerder, CLA, Dallas, TX
One of the first issues addressed
after the creation of the Division in 1982 was “certification.”
At the time, not even a definition existed for our profession.
In 1983, a survey of the members and local
associations asked, “Do you believe that voluntary certification would enhance the development of
the profession in Texas?” 72.8% responded
“yes.”
In
1985, the Division held public hearings across the state focusing upon certification proposals.
In 1988 a referendum proposing a NALA-Adjunct Texas certification was defeated.
Because during the pendency of the various proposals, the Division had set aside funding
earmarked for certification, in November of 1989, the Division Board approved a referendum to the
membership whether to “release” these funds, or to “reserve” the funds for future
certification endeavors. The results were
494 to retain and 416 to release.
In
1990, the Division Board stated it would proceed with “determination, not haste” in moving
forward with another certification proposal. It
commissioned a Digest to review the historical actions from 1982 to 1990,
and after completion of this Digest, the Board asked each member to discuss certification
within their local Districts.
At the
April, 1991 Board meeting, a roundtable discussion was held to determine a consensus on
certification. (Michele Boerder led the discussion as Chair of the Board of Directors, now the
President position of the Division). The result
was a Resolution for a joint Task Force between the Division and the State Bar Legal Assistant
Committee on specialty
certification, rather than a general certification. The first such Joint Task Force meeting was held June 21, 1991 and the Chair was
Justice Linda Thomas. Nine meetings were held during
1991 and 1992 to develop a specialty certification concept.
The
Joint Task Force on Specialty Certification consulted with the
President of the State Bar, State Bar Board advisors to the LAD and LAC, the State Bar Executive
Director, State Bar General Counsel, the Executive Director of TBLS and Justices of the Texas
Supreme Court. After these consultations, the
State Bar leadership, in particular, President Bob Dunn, supported the Texas Board of Legal
Specialization to be considered as the vehicle for such Specialty Certification.
In April 1992, an explanatory letter and Referendum was sent to Division members to determine
interest in such examination and the area(s) of
specialization desired.
In
May, 1992, the State Bar Board of Directors approved the concept that TBLS administer specialty
certification examinations for legal assistants. Subsequently,
in December, 1992, the TBLS approved the proposed plan/structure drafted by the Joint Task Force for
implementation.
The
Texas Board of Legal Specialization, an entity that reports to the Texas Supreme Court,
began in 1974 and the first board certified attorneys were recognized in 1975.
At that time Texas was one of only a few states that had specialization.
Almost
twenty years later, in 1993, the Texas Supreme Court
entered a Miscellaneous Docket Order amending the “Texas Plan for Recognition and Regulation of
Specialization in the Law” to allow the TBLS to administer specialty certification examinations
for legal assistants in Texas.
With
such launching, the work of the Joint Task Force was deemed completed, a final report submitted in
October, 1993, and an Advisory Commission to oversee
the creation of the legal assistant exams was established.
The Advisory Commission began the task of recruiting legal assistants and attorneys (most of
whom were Board Certified) to draft the exams.
In
March, 1994 the first three specialty tests were administered in Austin, Texas to those who applied
and met the established criteria. Three exams
were given: Civil Trial, Personal Injury and Family
Law. Successful candidates were conferred the use of
the term “Board Certified Legal Assistant – [area of law], Texas Board of Legal Specialization
and presented certificates at the 1994 Annual Meeting.
Now,
ten years later, there are six specialty areas for legal assistants: Civil Trial, Criminal Law,
Estate Planning and Probate, Family Law, and
Real Estate. Over 300 are currently Board Certified. The following numbers of paralegals are Board Certified in each area:
Civil Trial
86
Criminal 8
Estate Planning/Probate 13
Family Law 94
Personal Injury
104
Real Estate
13
The Texas Board of Legal Specialization, specifically Gary McNeil,
Denise Schumann and Molly Galvez are to be commended and credited with supporting
the specialization exams and developing additional specialty areas in which tests could be
offered. Thank you, TBLS!
For
more information about the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, applications and test dates,
visit the TBLS website at www.tbls.org and
select the “get certified” tab. Or, contact Molly
Galvez at mgalvez@texasbar.com, 1-800-204-2221 x 1454
or 512-453-7266 x 113.
Ms. Boerder
is a Board Certified Legal Assistant in Civil Trial Law and a Certified Paralegal with NALA.
She is a former Chair of the Board of Legal Assistants Division and also a former District 2
Director. Ms. Boerder is a current member of the State
Bar of Texas Joint Task Force on Specialty Certification and a member of the State Bar of Texas
Legal Assistant Committee.
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