Glossary
Board certification
An optional credential showing that a lawyer met extra experience, testing and education standards in one field of law. A lawyer does not need it to practice.
General information, not legal advice. Talk to a licensed attorney in your state.
Quick answer
Board certification is an optional credential for lawyers. It shows that a lawyer met extra standards of experience, testing and education in one field of law, set by a state program or by an organization accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). A lawyer does not need it to practice or to handle a car accident case.
In a car accident claim#
Any licensed lawyer may take a crash case, so certification is one signal among many. Under the ABA's model rule, a lawyer should say they are certified as a specialist only if they are certified by an organization approved by a state authority or accredited by the American Bar Association, and the certifying organization must be named. States adopt their own versions of this rule.
Certification comes from two kinds of bodies. Some states run their own programs; Texas, for example, certifies lawyers in Personal Injury Trial Law through the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. The ABA also accredits private programs and lists 8 organizations with accredited lawyer certification programs. Our guide to checking a lawyer's license explains how to confirm a license and any certification, and questions to ask a lawyer covers experience more broadly.
Example#
Related terms#
Questions people ask
Does a car accident lawyer need to be board certified?
No. A license to practice in the state is what the law requires. Certification is an extra credential that some lawyers choose to earn.
How can I check whether a lawyer is board certified?
Look up the lawyer with the certifying organization named in the claim. Under the ABA's model rule, a lawyer who claims certification must name the organization that certified them.
Sources
- American Bar Association, Standing Committee on Specialization — what lawyer certification is and who accredits it
- Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Personal Injury Trial Law — an example of a state certification program
- American Bar Association, Model Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 7.2(c) — as of October 2026
- American Bar Association, Standing Committee on Specialization, ABA Accredited Programs — as of October 2026
Last reviewed October 29, 2026 by the Accident Claim Facts editorial team. Found an error? Tell us.
Keep reading
- GlossaryGlossaryShort, plain-English definitions of the legal and insurance terms that come up after a crash, each with an example, related terms and the sources behind it.
- Choosing a lawyerCheck a licenseEvery state keeps public records of the lawyers it licenses. How to look a lawyer up, read the listing, and check certification, malpractice insurance and…
- Choosing a lawyerQuestions to askA practical list of questions for a first meeting with a car accident lawyer, grouped by topic, with the reason behind each one and the professional rules…
- GlossaryFee agreementThe written contract that hires a lawyer. It says what work the lawyer will do, how the fee is worked out and who pays the costs of the case.
- GlossaryLawyer referral serviceA service, often run by a state or local bar association, that listens to a caller's problem and refers them to a lawyer on its panel who handles that kind of…
- GlossaryLegal malpracticeA lawyer's failure to use the skill and care a reasonable lawyer would use, causing the client a loss, such as missing a filing deadline.