The State Bar of Nevada allows attorneys to advertise themselves as specialists if they have become certified by an organization approved by the Bar, register and meet other requirements.
Nevada lawyers can become certified in up to three of 11 different practice areas offered for specialty by the five approved organizations.
The Nevada Supreme Court, which has ultimate oversight over the regulation of attorneys in the Silver State, gave the State Bar authority to certify lawyers as specialists in 2003. Only attorneys who have been property certified through the Bar's procedures may advertise as "specialists."
Each organization has certain requirements to become certified. Once an attorney has met those requirements, he or she must meet further requirements and take additional steps to become a certified Nevada lawyer:
Only after meeting these requirements may an attorney advertise as a specialist. An attorney may only advertise three or fewer specialties.
According to the website of the State Bar of Nevada for Legal Certified Specialist, as of Monday, September 14, 2015, the following Nevada attorneys have registered their certifications as legal specialists in the following areas of law:
Nevada Attorneys who are Board Certified Specialist in Civil Trial Advocacy:
Donald C. Kudler
Marsha L. Stephenson
Robert D. Martin
Pat Lundvall
J.R. Crockett
William R. Clayton
Thomas F. Christensen
J. Bruce Alverson
Nevada Attorneys who are Board Certified Specialist inBusiness Bankruptcy:
Matthew C. Zirzow
Lenard E. Schwartzer
Jeanette E. McPherson
Matthew L. Johnson
Jeffrey L. Hartman
Nevada Attorneys who are Board Certified Specialist inChild Welfare Law:
Michelle L. Rodriguez
Janice Wolf
Candace J. Barr
Nevada Attorneys who are Board Certified Specialist inCriminal Trial Advocacy:
Brett O. Whipple
Joshua L. Tomsheck
Craig S. Denney
Nevada Attorneys who are Board Certified Specialist inElder Law:
Elyse M. Tyrell
Richard D. Chatwin
Nevada Attorneys who are Board Certified Specialist inFamily Law:
Gloria M. Petroni
Richard W. Young
Marilyn D. York
Marshal Willick
Dawn R. Throne
Radford J. Smith
Gary Silverman
Tracy M. Rau
Eric A. Pulver
Katherine Provost
Raymond E. Oster
Shawn B. Meador
Emily McFarling
Vincent Mayo
Daniel Marks
Ronald J. Logar
Andrew L. Kynaston
Ishi Kunin
John T. Kelleher
Edward Kainen
John D. Jones
James Jimmerson
Peter Jaquette
Rena Hughes
Sarah F. Hardy-Cooper
Howard Ecker
Mary Anne Decaria
Shelly B. Cooley
Robert Cerceo
Cassandra Campbell
Rebecca L. Burton
Kathleen T. Breckenridge
Rayna L. Brachmann
Brian Blackhead
Audrey J. Beeson
Jennifer V. Abrams
There are five organizations that have sought and gained approved from the State Bar to certify attorneys:
Additionally, fellows in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers have been certified to as family law specialists, according to the NBLSC.
Attorneys in Nevada are currently certified in:
At the Board of Governors meeting on April 3, 2014, Gene Leverty provided a synopsis on the process of developing a Personal Injury Specialization.
A task force was created which allowed Gene Leverty, Julie Cavanaugh, Bill Dobberstein, and Eric Dobberstein to review the draft guidelines for the category of Personal Injury Specialization.
The taskforce took steps to reach out to the other organizations for feedback. Upon completion of the review, the guidelines were published for comment.
In September 2014, the Board of Governors approved the rules and regulations of the Nevada Board of Personal Injury Legal Specialization.
The new specialization board operates under the supervision of the Nevada Justice Association and is composed of five members. The board will have general jurisdiction over all matters relating to personal injury specialization.
Among other qualifications, attorneys wishing to become board certified in personal injury law must take a written exam, offered at least twice a year. The board is currently working on the content of the exams and determining a testing schedule. Many of the top personal injury attorneys in Nevada are expected to seek this important designation.
Contact Information for the State Bar of Nevada
State Bar of NevadaAt Lawyer Legion, we understand the importance of specialty certification programs. We created a feature on our directory to help the public narrow their search to find only Nevada attorneys who have earned specialty certification. Lawyer Legion is not endorsed or approved by any state or national board certification program or by any bar association, including the State Bar of Nevada.This article was last updated on Friday, November 22, 2019.