Fort Lauderdale Board Certified Criminal Lawyer

Jonathan S. Friedman is Board Certified in Criminal Trial Law, making him an expert in the field. Board Certification is the highest level of evaluation by The Florida Bar Association of the competency and experience of attorneys and is approved by the Supreme Court of Florida. Certification recognizes an attorneys’ unique knowledge, skills, proficiency, professionalism and ethics in their legal practice.
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In 1982, the Florida Supreme Court established Board Certifications to help the public identify specialists in various fields of law. Those attorneys that are Board Certified are the only ones that are allowed to call themselves “experts” or “specialists” or to refer to themselves as Board Certified Specialists when advertising their legal services. In Florida, only 6% of eligible Florida Bar members (approximately 4,600 lawyers) are Board Certification. Of those, only 374 of them are Board Certified in criminal trial law. Jonathan S. Friedman is one of the few to have achieved such certification.
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A lawyer who is a member in good standing of The Florida Bar and who meets the standards prescribed by the state’s Supreme Court may become a board certified attorney.

Minimum requirements for certification are listed below:

• A minimum of five years in law practice.
• Substantial involvement in the field of law for which certification is sought.
• Satisfactory peer review assessment of competence in the specialty field as well as character, ethics, and professionalism in the practice of law.
• Satisfaction of the certification area’s continuing legal education requirements.
• A passing grade on the examination required of all applicants or meet strict criteria to exempt the exam.

How does the certification program help a client or potential client?

Certification gives the person seeking a lawyer objective information regarding a lawyer’s qualifications:

• Certified lawyers are specialists who meet Florida’s high legal standards
• Board-certified lawyers are legal experts dedicated to professional excellence
• Board-certified lawyers exemplify the high standards The Florida Bar sets for all of its members.

Board Certification is valid for five years, during which time the attorney must continue to practice law and attend Florida Bar-approved continuing legal education courses. To be recertified, lawyers must meet requirements similar to those for initial certification. Not all qualified lawyers are certified, but those who are board certified have taken the extra steps to have their competence and experience evaluated.