Family Law Specialist Board Certification

Columbus, Ohio, Family Law Specialist

Nancy L. Sponseller has been certified by the Ohio State Bar Association as a specialist in family relations law. This certification makes Ms. Sponseller one of a small group of attorneys in Ohio to have earned this distinction. This enables Ms. Sponseller to offer her clients this added expertise.

All attorneys licensed to practice law in Ohio must have graduated from an accredited law school, passed an intensive examination, and attended continuing legal education courses as required by the Supreme Court of Ohio. Attorneys such as Ms. Sponseller who devote a large part of their practice to a particular area of law may choose to go beyond these requirements to earn specialty certification. To become certified, they must:

• demonstrate substantial and continuing involvement in a particular field of law, meaning they must devote at least 25% of their practice to that area of law;

• submit five individual references attesting to their competency in the specialty area;

• have earned a minimum of 36 hours of intermediate or advanced continuing legal education in the specialty area during the past three years as part of the continuing legal education credits required of all attorneys;

• remain in good standing with the Supreme Court of Ohio;

• pass a written examination;

• prove financial responsibility by maintaining minimum professional liability insurance coverage

Attorneys who have earned a specialty certification must be recertified at least every seven years and must earn a minimum of 12 continuing legal education credits in the specialty area every two years.

The Supreme Court of Ohio established a Commission on Certification of Attorneys as Specialists to identify specialties and set minimum standards for specialty certification.

Agencies that provide ongoing education for lawyers may submit their certification programs to the Court for approval. Once accredited by the Supreme Court of Ohio, these agencies can then offer their certification programs to Ohio attorneys who wish to become specialists in those particular fields of law.

The Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) is the largest certifying agency in Ohio and was responsible for certifying Ms. Sponseller.

For more information on attorney certification, please go to the web site for the Ohio State Bar Association, www.ohiobar.org. Click on “Public”, then click on “Attorneys”, then “Certification.”