Texas Board of Legal Specialization
- Criminal Law
Board Certification by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization is a mark of excellence and a distinguished accomplishment within the Texas legal community. Consumers and organizations get the highest quality of legal services when working with Board Certified lawyers - having substantial experience, the respect of their peers, and proven specialized competence in their select area of law. To become board certified, an attorney must receive recommendations from other attorneys and judges. The attorney must also pass an rigorous examination that is often said to be much harder than the bar exam. Out of 110,000 lawyers that are licensed to practice in Texas, only 7,350 are Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Matt became board certified by the TBLS after just 5 years of practicing law.
National Board of Trial Advocates
- Criminal Trial Law
The National Board of Trial Advocates is accredited by the American Bar Association and certifies attorney's as specialist throughout the United States. Board-certified attorneys undergo thorough screening of credentials. This includes "documentation of their experience, judicial and peer references, an exam, and they must report all disciplinary matters brought before any official body, whether public or private, for scrutiny by the NBTA Standards Committee." An attorney who meets NBTA's stringent requirements and becomes board-certified remains an active member for five years and may apply for re-certification after this time. In 1990, Associate Justice John Paul Stevens quoted the Task Force on Lawyer Competence, Report With Findings and Recommendations to The Conference of Chief Justices, Publication No. NCSC-021, pp. 33-34 (May 26, 1982), in Peel v. Atty. Registration & Disciplinary Comm'n, 496 U.S. 91, 95-96 (U.S. 1990) on the quality of the vetting process: "NBTA certification has been described as a 'highly-structured' and 'arduous process that employs a wide range of assessment methods.'"
Matt became board certified by the NBTA after just 7 years of practicing law.
Texas Bar College
In addition to being double board certified, Matt is also a member of the Texas Bar College. The Texas Bar College is an honorary society of lawyers who are leaders in the Texas legal community and champions of legal education. Members are committed to high ethical standards and improved training for all legal professionals.
