Ohio State Bar Association certifies 17 attorneys as specialists

COLUMBUS – The Ohio State Bar Association has certified 17 lawyers as specialists in six legal practice areas. They join more than 700 OSBA-certified attorney specialists across the state. The certifications were announced today.

Atty. Martin J. Boetcher, from Harrington Hoppe and Mitchell, Ltd., was certified as a specialist in workers’ compensation law. He is a member (partner) of the Youngstown-based law firm and focuses on employment law, workers compensation law, and civil litigation.

All attorneys licensed to practice law in Ohio must have graduated from an accredited law school, passed an intensive examination and attend continuing legal education courses as required by the Supreme Court of Ohio. Some attorneys who devote a large part of their practices to a particular area of the law choose to go beyond these requirements to earn specialty certification.

“By meeting these high standards and committing themselves to ongoing development within their specialty area, these newly certified attorneys demonstrate not only a commitment to the practice of law, but also to their clients,” said OSBA President Linda Tucci Teodosio. “Gaining this title is an admirable accomplishment and I offer my congratulations on behalf of the OSBA to this latest class of certified specialists.”

Attorneys seeking certification must satisfy several criteria: demonstrate substantial and continuing involvement in a particular field of law, meaning they must devote at least 25 percent of their practice to that area of law; submit five professional references attesting to their competency in the specialty area; have earned a minimum of 36 hours of intermediate or advanced continuing legal education (CLE) credits in the specialty area during the past three years as part of the CLE hours required of all attorneys; pass a written examination; prove financial responsibility by maintaining minimum professional liability insurance coverage and remain in good standing with the Supreme Court of Ohio.

Each certified specialist must file annual reports attesting to compliance with program requirements and must be recertified every six years by meeting all of the original requirements for certification excepting the written examination.

The Supreme Court of Ohio established a Commission on Certification of Attorneys as Specialists to identify specialties and set minimum standards for specialty certification. The commission accredits the certifying agencies of which the OSBA is the largest in the state.

The OSBA is currently accredited to certify specialists in 11 areas of law, including administrative agency; appellate; elder; estate planning, trust and probate; family relations; federal taxation; insurance coverage; labor and employment; business; commercial and industrial real property; residential real property and workers’ compensation.

Attorneys who wish to become certified in 2021 can apply for certification online through the OSBA website at OhioBar.org/Certification between January and June.

Newly Certified Attorney Specialists

Source: Ohio State Bar Association

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