Requirements for National Board of Trial Lawyers Certification

The National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA), established in 1977, has instituted a certification program for trial attorneys which provides a thorough screening of their credentials. The following are the requirements an attorney must meet in order to be Board Certified by the NBTA.

• An attorney must be a member of their state bar in good standing and must submit a comprehensive history of their professional conduct to the NBTA.
• An attorney must be practicing for at least five years with a 30% concentration in the field for which the attorney seeks certification.
• A writing sample in the form of a trial brief, prepared by the applying attorney and relevant to the area of law the attorney seeks certification in must be submitted to the NBTA. The brief must have been filed with a court of law within the three years immediately preceding the attorney’s application for certification.
• The applying attorney must have participated in 45 hours of continuing legal education, relevant to the area of law the attorney seeks certification in, within the three years immediately preceding the attorney’s application for certification.
• The attorney must be able to supply the NBTA with the names of three judges and three attorneys familiar with the attorney’s trial skill in the area of law for which the attorney is applying for certification.
• The attorney must have been lead counsel in at least 15 trials brought to verdict or judgment which lasted at a minimum 45 days.
• The attorney must have been lead counsel in 40 contested matters where the taking of evidence was involved such as hearings, motions or depositions.
• The applying attorney must successfully pass the NBTA six–hour examination which includes essay, trial techniques, evidence and ethics. While the NBTA Examination Committee and Board of Examiners oversees the exam, trial attorneys and law professors are responsible for the writing and grading the exam.

In order to be considered for certification, an attorney must successfully complete all of the above requirements within two years of applying. Upon becoming certified, the attorney remains certified in his or her field of specialty for five years at which time the attorney must apply for recertification. By adhering to these strict standards of certification, the NBTA is able to insure that the trial attorneys it certifies are of the highest caliber. Brayton Purcell’s lead trial counsel, Gilbert L. Purcell, has been certified by the NBTA as a Board Certified Civil Trial Attorney.