Congratulations to Kim Hamill!
Ms. Hamill has received her Board Certification in Marital and Family Law by the Florida Bar Association. Board certification demonstrates a lawyer’s significant commitment to and experience in a specialty field of law. Board-certified lawyers have dedicated themselves to a heightened level of excellence through character, professionalism, ethics, and credibility in the practice of law. Established by the Florida Supreme Court, board certification is conferred upon lawyers by the most credible and highest authority over the state’s legal community, The Florida Bar.
Board certification is Florida’s official, independent determination of a lawyer’s expertise to practice in a specialty field of law. It is the gold standard for Florida lawyers, representing a recognition by a lawyer’s peers that they have attained a level of professional expertise in their chosen fields.
According to the Florida Bar Association, Board-certified lawyers have dedicated themselves to achieving a heightened level of excellence through character, professionalism, ethics, and credibility in the practice of law. Lawyers must practice law for at least five years before becoming eligible to start the board certification process. Board-certified lawyers must demonstrate substantial involvement in the area of law in which certification is sought. Lawyers applying for board certification must pass a comprehensive examination that evaluates a high level of knowledge, skills, and expertise in a specialty field.
Board-certified lawyers undergo a rigorous peer-review process that assesses competence in a specialty field, as well as professionalism and ethics in the practice of law. Board-certified lawyers must satisfy the certification area’s continuing legal education requirements, which are more robust than what The Florida Bar requires attorneys to satisfy for continued licensure in the general practice of law. 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. Recent research shows that lawyers who list themselves as “board-certified” in a specialized area of law are 25% to 40% more likely to be hired than a non-board-certified counterpart with similar credentials. As of 2021, only 7% of eligible Florida Bar members – fewer than 5,500 lawyers – have earned board certification in one or more of the 27 specialty areas.
