Family Lawyers Job Description, Duties & Salary

Certification, Licensing, and Special Requirements

Certification or Licensing

The National Board of Trial Advocacy offers voluntary board certification in family trial law, Social Security disability law, civil trial law, criminal trial law, and other specialties. Contact the board for more information. The National Association of Counsel for Children offers the child welfare law specialist certification to attorneys who serve in the role of child’s attorney (including guardian ad litem, law guardian, and attorney ad litem), parent’s attorney, and agency/department/government attorney. The specialization area as approved by the American Bar Association is defined as “the practice of law representing children, parents or the government in all child protection proceedings including emergency, temporary custody, adjudication, disposition, foster care, permanency planning, termination, guardianship, and adoption. Child welfare law does not include representation in private child custody and adoption disputes where the state is not a party.” Contact these organizations for more information on certification requirements.

Every state requires that lawyers be admitted to the bar of that state before they can practice. They require that applicants graduate from an approved law school and that they pass a written examination in the state in which they intend to practice. In a few states, graduates of law schools within the state are excused from these written examinations. After lawyers have been admitted to the bar in one state, they can practice in another state without taking another written examination if the two states have reciprocity agreements; however, these lawyers will be required to meet certain state standards of legal experience and good character and to pay any applicable fees.

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