Asked to say a few words on the 25th anniversary of The Florida Bar’s certification program, Supreme Court Justice Harry Lee Anstead harkened back to his college days, wearing the University of Florida colors as a walk-on for the track and field team.

He “didn’t get a bunch of stuff” as a reward for making the team. In fact, he said, he had only one shirt and one pair of running shoes to his name. But he got something much more worthwhile: the thrill of flying the flag for his school.

“I might not have run as fast as the rest, but I certainly floated higher in the air out of the enormous pride that I had at being able to compete at that level,” he said.

“The highest calling of the Bar is to protect and serve the public, and it does no better good than when it organizes a program like this and hones it to be the best it can be. What an enormous and well-deserved reward it is for the lawyer who is willing to take the test and go through this process to become certified. Nowhere do lawyers shine more than when they are willing to submit themselves to be examined for competence and character.”

Board certification recognizes attorneys’ special knowledge, skills, and proficiency in various areas of law and professionalism and ethics in practice. Certification is the highest level of evaluation by The Florida Bar of competency and experience within an area of law. In Florida, only board certified lawyers are permitted to refer to themselves as experts or specialists.

“Board certification and recertification require a concentrated ongoing involvement in the specialty,” said 1997-98 Florida Bar President Edward R. Blumberg. “This ensures that the board certified lawyer is up to date as to changes in the law. It also is a continuing demonstration that the lawyer practices with the highest level of ethics and professionalism.”

The Florida Bar this year marks the 25th year of its board certification program by spotlighting inaugural classes of lawyers in two first-in-the-nation specialties: Intellectual Property Law and State and Federal Government and Administrative Practice. These additions give Florida 22 certification areas, the greatest number of state-approved specialties in the U.S.

So far, 4,377 certificates have been issued, and Board of Legal Specialization and Education Chair Michael Tanner said he expects to issue in the neighborhood of 140 more this year.

“The program is robust and growing,” Tanner said. “We look forward to continued growth for many years to come.”

“Florida’s board certification program is one of the leaders in the nation in maintaining the highest standards for excellence and professionalism while adding practice areas for greater public access to legal specialists,” said Bar President Jay White. “The program is predicated on experience and integrity, the foundations that are inseparable from our work as lawyers to advance the administration of justice.”

The program was begun 25 years ago, when the Florida Supreme Court saw a need for a program to acknowledge lawyers with special competence, and to help the public make informed decisions when selecting lawyers. According to American Bar Association Standing Committee on Specialization Chair Timothy Bouch of Charleston, S.C., Florida was one of the first states to recognize the importance of specialty certification.

“The ABA’s Standing Committee on Specialization congratulates the Florida certification program on 25 years of service to the legal profession,” said Bouch. “The committee is proud to have worked with The Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education and looks forward to a continued partnership.”

Inaugural classes of lawyers in 1983 achieved certification in civil trial and tax law. Marital and family law followed in 1985. The Bar since has developed and refined a high-quality certification program, often recognized as a national leader. Specialties in adoption law and education law currently are pending approval.

In order to achieve certification, lawyers must have a minimum of five years in law practice; a satisfactory showing of substantial involvement in the field of law for which certification is sought; a passing grade on the examination required of all applicants; satisfactory peer review assessment of competence in the specialty field as well as character, ethics, and professionalism in the practice of law; and satisfaction of the certification area’s continuing legal education requirements.

Put another way, Anstead said, lawyer certification at The Florida Bar is a lot like serving in the Army and receiving a Green Beret, the way of being “the best that you can be.”

“If any of us were really going to admit it, the thing we protect the most is our internal view of ourselves, our ego, and we’re always apprehensive about letting the light of day shine on it,” Justice Anstead said. “The lawyer takes a great risk in this process, and not everyone will succeed. But I truly believe that in this program, the Bar has done its darndest to provide the public with the very best. That’s why it’s recognized nationally for being progressive and cutting edge. It’s the pinnacle.”