The Florida Bar



1. You are being furnished these materials electronically for your convenience and to reduce expenses. The official versions of all documents furnished to you are maintained at The Florida Bar.

2. The official application form accompanying these instructions is being provided electronically in Microsoft Word format. You should use it to compile your completed application form. If you encounter technical problems in opening and using the form, please contact Diana Kellogg at 850/561-5850 or via email at dkellogg@.

3. If your organization is seeking accreditation for more than one specialty program, please complete a separate application for each.

4. The official application will be the version you submit on CD or a flash drive and must be submitted as a bookmarked pdf containing the following:

TAB A Accreditation Application Form - The original completed electronic application. Please print, sign and scan in the Statement of Authorization page.

TAB B Verification of Accreditation by Other Jurisdictions – Please include a statement that identifies the jurisdiction(s) in which your program is accredited.

TAB C Governing Documents – Please include articles of incorporation, bylaws, and major resolutions of the governing bodies of the applicant or any parent organization, which relate to the standards, procedures, guidelines or practices of applicant’s certification program.

TAB D Biographical Summaries – Governing Board

TAB E Biographical Summaries – Senior Staff

TAB F Biographical Summaries – Certification Body – Please include members of advisory panels, standards committees or other bodies relevant to the certification process who review and pass upon applications for certification including specific information concerning the degree of involvement in the specialty area.

TAB G Biographical Summaries – Examination Body – Please include persons responsible for developing examinations and determining pass/fail standards.

TAB H Materials Furnished to Lawyers Seeking Certification - Please include application forms, booklets or pamphlets describing the certification program, rules and procedures, peer review forms and evaluation guides. Please highlight evidence of any Florida components to the task requirements, where appropriate.

TAB I Florida Member Grievance, Membership & Certification Verification – Please provide documentation that the organization annually requires all Florida members to report any grievances, new bar memberships and current eligibility to The Florida Bar.

TAB J Florida Plan Certification Verification – Where the same or similar specialty area exists under the Florida plan, please provide documentation showing that the organization verifies that each Florida lawyer newly certified by your organization was certified by The Florida Bar in the same or similar specialty area at the time the lawyer applied for certification by your organization.

TAB K For Each Specialty, Copies of Examinations – Please include examinations given in the past year with documents describing efforts to insure their validity and reliability. In those cases where an organization accepts examination by another entity, include copies of such examinations and the relevant descriptive material as cited above. Please highlight evidence of any Florida components within the written examination, where appropriate.

TAB L Written Examination Grading Standards – Please include a description of the grading standards used. Please include any grade review procedures.

TAB M Additional Attachments/Other Requested Information

5. In preparing the application, please bookmark each attachment within the .pdf document.

6. Unless otherwise indicated on the application form, questions may be answered in whole or in part by referring to materials supplied as supporting documents. In doing so, please cite each such reference as “See TAB      , Page(s)      ”. Be sure to complete the Statement of Authorization, which is a part of the application.

7. Unless otherwise informed by the National Accreditation Coordinator, please submit one (1) complete application on CD or flash drive for use in providing information about your program to those who will review your program. All information provided to the application reviewers will be password protected.

8. Payment of the application fee must be sent with the application. A non-fundable application fee must be submitted for each specialty area in which an application is submitted. Fees currently in effect until further notice, are as follows:

Accreditation Application Fee $1,500.00

Accreditation Application Fee if ABA Accredited $1,000.00

Make checks payable to “The Florida Bar”

9. Applications that are not accompanied by all of the items specified in instructions #4 and #8 will not be processed. All fees are non-refundable.

10. Send the application form, fees and all other required supporting documents to:

The Florida Bar

Board of Legal Specialization & Education

Attn: Diana Kellogg, LSE Director

651 E. Jefferson St.

Tallahassee, FL 32399-2300

11. Upon receipt of the application, supporting documents and the fee payment, the BLSE will acknowledge receipt of the materials via e-mail.

12. Any questions regarding the application or processing should be directed to Diana Kellogg at 850/561-5850 or via email at dkellogg@.

| |

|INITIAL APPLICATION FOR ACCREDITATION |

Application for Accreditation of Specialty Certification Program

Note: This form is designed to be completed in Microsoft Word. Please feel free to expand or contract space allotted for answers as appropriate.

If your answer to any item includes a reference to materials included in supporting documents submitted as part of your application, you must include the Application Bookmark tab letter, as well as the page number(s) within that tab on which the referenced materials appear.

TYPE OR PRINT NEATLY

|Program Specialty:       |File Number:       |

|PART I. ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION |

|A. |Please submit the following background data |

| |NAME OF ORGANIZATION:       |

| |ADDRESS:       |

| |CITY:       |ST:       |ZIP:       |PHONE:       |

| |CONTACT NAME & TITLE:       |

| |EMAIL ADDRESS:       |

| |WEBSITE:       |

| |

| |

| |

| |1. |List any other name(s) by which your organization has ever been known. |

| | |      |

| | |

| |2. |If your organization is a division, department, or subsidiary of another organization, please provide the following information. |

| | |FULL LEGAL NAME OF THAT ORGANIZATION:       |

| | |ADDRESS (INCLUDING STREET ADDRESS):       |

| | |CITY:       |ST:       |ZIP:       |PHONE:       |

| | |CONTACT NAME & TITLE:       |

| | |EMAIL ADDRESS:       |

| | |WEBSITE:       |

| |

| |3. |If your organization is sponsored or supported by another separate organization, please provide the following information. |

| | |FULL LEGAL NAME OF THAT ORGANIZATION:       |

| | |ADDRESS (INCLUDING STREET ADDRESS):       |

| | |TELEPHONE:       |FAX:       |

| | |NAME AND TITLE OF PERSON TO CONTACT:       |

| |

| |4. |Identify the name and membership of the entity within your organization that develops, grades and determines pass/fail standards of |

| | |examinations. |

| | |      |

| | | |

| |5. |Structure (Check all that apply to your organization) |

| | |Date Formed:       |State:       |

| | | Corporation | For Profit |

| | | Unincorporated | Sole Proprietorship |

| | | Partnership | Non-Profit |

| | | Other:       |

| | | |

| |6. |Does your application require a lawyer to list all current admissions to the Bar, along with any registration numbers where applicable? |

| | |      |

| | | |

| | | |

|B. |Accreditation |

| |1. |Is your organization accredited by the American Bar Association? If so, when was accreditation granted? |

| | |      |

| | | |

| |2. |Indicate the jurisdictions (other than the ABA) that have granted accreditation to your organization in this or any other specialty. |

| | |STATE:       |SPECIALITY:       |

| | |

| |3. |Indicate the jurisdictions, if any, that have denied or revoked accreditation to your organization in this or any other specialty. If |

| | |applicable, please attach a statement of explanation. |

| | |STATE:       |SPECIALITY:       |DENIED OR REVOKED:       |

|PART II. CERTIFICATION PROGRAM(S) AND ORGANIZATIONAL PRACTICES |

|A. |General |

| |1. |Please provide a listing of the names and addresses of Florida lawyers certified in the specialty field for which you are applying. |

| | |      |

| |2. |Please provide a copy of your organization’s application for lawyer certification and recertification. |

| | |      |

| |3. |Does your organization require a lawyer seeking certification to be a member of, or to complete educational programs offered by any specific |

| | |organization? If so, please provide details. |

| | |      |

| |4. |Does your program description indicate that your organization does not discriminate against lawyers seeking certification on the basis of |

| | |race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age? If so, please provide documentation. (Use the additional attachments tab.) |

| | |      |

| |5. |Does your organization require a lawyer seeking certification to furnish evidence verifying his or her license to practice law and membership |

| | |of good standing in one or more states, territories of the United States or the District of Columbia? |

| | |      |

| |6. |Does your organization require that a certified lawyer report disbarment, suspension, reprimands, or any other disciplinary sanction in any |

| | |jurisdiction in which he or she is a member or practices law? |

| | |      |

| |7. |What measures do you take to verify information regarding good standing and discipline? |

| | |      |

| | | |

| |8. |Describe your organization's standards and process for denying and revoking certification. |

| | |      |

| |9. |Describe your organization’s appeal procedures, if any, for lawyers seeking to challenge denial of their application for certification. |

| | |      |

| | | |

|B. |Basic Requirements |

| |1. |Describe the standards that must be met by lawyers seeking to be certified as specialists in this area. Please provide a current copy of your|

| | |organizations Rules & Regulations. |

| | |      |

| | |a. |Substantial Involvement: (i.e. number and type of matters handled, length of time and percentage of practice devoted to specialty, |

| | | |etc.) |

| | | |      |

| | |b. |Continuing Legal Education: (Specify the types of programs that may be used to satisfy this requirement) |

| | | |      |

| | |c. |Peer Review: (Specify number, type, and process for obtaining peer and/or judicial references. Also, provide a description of your |

| | | |procedure for evaluating peer review for lawyers.) |

| | | |      |

| | |d. |Other: |

| | | |      |

| |2. |Are the standards and qualifications described above uniform in all jurisdictions in which your organization certifies or plans to certify |

| | |lawyers in this specialty? |

| | |      |

| |3. |Are there any circumstances/waivers through which an attorney could become certified that eliminate the need to meet the standard |

| | |requirements? |

| | |      |

| | | |

|C. |Examinations |

| |1. |Does your organization require that a lawyer seeking certification pass a written examination? If not, please explain why. |

| | |      |

| |2. |Please provide a current copy of the examination. Describe the general content in terms of areas of knowledge and analysis it covers and the |

| | |types of questions used. Please highlight references to Florida components in the examination. |

| | |      |

| | | |

| |3. |Describe how examinations are developed, what grading standards are used and how are they graded. |

| | |      |

| |4. |Does your organization implement any grade review procedures? If so, please provide documentation verifying such measures and provide the |

| | |applicable rule or policy. |

| | |      |

| |5. |Describe how and when examinations are administered, indicating sites and proctoring arrangements. |

| | |      |

| |6. |What measures are taken to protect the security of all written examinations? |

| | |      |

| |7. |Does your organization permit a lawyer seeking certification to submit evidence of passage of a written examination administered by another |

| | |organization in lieu of passage of the written examination administered by your organization for the specialty area in which you are applying?|

| | |If yes, please complete (a) and (b) below. |

| | |(a.) |Please provide the name, address, telephone number and a contact person for the organization. |

| | | |      |

| | |(b.) |Describe the process by which your organization evaluates third-party examinations to determine whether their length, complexity |

| | | |and grading criteria are substantially similar to examinations given by your organization. Please highlight any reference to |

| | | |Florida components in their examination for this specialty. |

| | | |      |

| | | |

|PART III. FINANCE |

| |

| |1. |Does your certification program receive funding from any source other than fees collected from lawyers who apply for certification? |

| | |      |

| |2. |List all fees including those for examinations, grade review and appellate procedures your organization charges for certification, |

| | |recertification and current certification. |

| | |      |

| |3. |Can any or all of your fees be waived? If so, please explain. |

| | |      |

As authorized representative of and contact person for purposes of this application for accreditation, I authorize and consent to an investigation as to the matters requested and disclosed in this application. Further, I agree to the following:

(1) to provide further information that may be required in reference to the current or prior activities of our organization, and to cooperate in the investigation of the statements on this application;

(2) that in connection with making this application, I have read and agree to abide by the Standards, Governing Rules, Evaluation Criteria and Procedures for The Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education (BLSE), as amended from time to time;

(3) to release, discharge, and to hold harmless and indemnify The Florida Bar, its officers, agents and employees from liability of any kind, including costs and expenses, for any suit or damages sustained by any person or property by virtue of the activities of the undersigned relating to accreditation by The Florida Bar BLSE; and

(4) that the BLSE may make materials submitted by our organization in connection with this application available to interested entities of The Florida Bar, except for copies of examinations and other materials as may be agreed upon between our organization and the BLSE.

I certify that I am authorized by our organization to submit this application and that the information disclosed and the items provided pursuant to the requirements of this application are true and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

|Signature of Chief Organizational Officer or Authorized Representative: |      |

| |Date |

| |      |

| |Title |

| |      |

| |For |

| |      |

| |State of |

| |      |

| |County of |

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INITIAL APPLICATION FOR ACCREDITATION

AND INSTRUCTIONS

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STATEMENT OF AUTHORIZATION

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