Attorney Worthington Earns Certified Elder
Law Attorney Designation
In the March 29, 2004 issue of this faxletter, I wrote, announcing my LL.M. in tax law. "I rarely if ever
clutter your fax machine with news about myself. Please forgive me, but
this one is so good I've just got to announce it. (And - fair warning -
I've got another one coming later this year.)"
Well, here's the other one! I've now earned the prestigious
CELA designation - Certified Elder Law Attorney - from the National
Elder Law Foundation.
Of the roughly 4,500 elder law attorneys nationwide, only
320 have attained the status of CELA since the designation was created 11
years ago. There are only 12 CELAs in Massachusetts. Only four Massachusetts
CELAs have an LL.M., and there is only one CELA/LL.M. (yours truly) in Worcester
County.
About the CELA
The Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) designation was created
11 years ago by the non-profit National
Elder Law Foundation. The CELA is the only American Bar Association
approved certification in elder law. The purpose of the certification program
is to identify those lawyers who have the enhanced knowledge, skills, experience
and proficiency to be properly identified to the public as Certified Elder
Law Attorneys.
In order to earn the CELA, an attorney must meet the following
qualifications:
- Licensure/Integrity - Be licensed to practice law and
be in good standing in every jurisdiction where licensed.
- Practice - Have actively practiced law during all of the
past 5 years.
- Substantial Involvement - Practiced elder law at least
800 hours in each of the past 3 years, handling at least 60 elder law
matters in a specified distribution over 13 defined areas of elder law.
- Continuing Legal Education - Completed at least 45 hours
of Continuing Legal Education in elder law during the past three years
(I've completed over 300 hours, and I teach as well.)
- Peer Review - Be recommended confidentially by at least
5 peers, at least 3 of whom practice elder law more than 800 hours per
year.
- Examination - Complete a rigorous, all-day written examination
in elder law, mostly essay questions. (First-time pass rate is less than
60%.)
- Re-certification - Undergo a re-certification process
and examination every 5 years.
Required Statement
Unlike many states, Massachusetts still has no official certifications
or specialties in any area of law. Because of this, the Supreme Judicial
Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires a statement like the
one below to be included in any communication from a lawyer licensed by
the Commonwealth and indicating that the lawyer holds a specialized certification:
"Certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation,
a private non-profit organization accredited by the American Bar Association,
but whose standards for certification are not regulated by the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts."
|
