Family Law Board Certification by the TBLS

To become board certified as a family law attorney by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS), the following standards apply:

• Practice law fulltime for at least 5 years as an active member of the State Bar of Texas;
• At least 3 years of Family Law experience with a yearly minimum 35% substantial involvement with Family Law matters;
• Participation in a specific number of contested final trials, court appearances, civil trials, appeals and represented parties in mediation matters;
• Qualified vetted references from judges and lawyers in the area;
• Complete 60 hours of TBLS approved continuing legal education in Family Law;
• Meet all of the TBLS Standards for Attorney Certification; and
• Pass a comprehensive 6-hour examination in Family Law. 

To become board certified, the attorney must pass an examination. Topics covered by the exam to become board certified in family law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS) include:

1. Establishing or contesting the validity of a marriage
2. Establishing legal and procedural requirements for family law cases including jurisdiction, venue and transfer of cases involving dissolution of marriage and modification as well as Supreme Court cases dealing with the right to marriage
3. Determining or contesting parentage
4. Terminating parental rights
5. Child Support
6. Conservatorship
7. Spousal Maintenance
8. Marital Property
9. Tax Related Issues
10. Negotiating and Drafting Settlement Agreements, including but not limited to, agreements between counsel and parties, Rule 11, Mediated Settlement Agreements, Informal Settlement Agreements, and other settlement agreements
11. Trial of Family Law Cases
12. Appeals and Bills of Review in Family Law Cases
13. Protective Orders and Family Violence, including Chapter 25 of the Texas Penal Code concerning offenses against the family
14. State statutes involving harmful access by computer; Federal and State Wiretapping Act; Unlawful Intercepted, Use and Disclosure of Wire, Oral or Electronic Communications, Unlawful Access to Stored Communications; Breech of Computer Security, including harmful access by computer:
15. Online Impersonation (Texas Penal Code Section 33.07)
16. HIPAA, COBRA, and “The Texas Medical Records Privacy Act,” Texas Health & Safety Code, Chapter 181
17. The Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct (TDRPC)