Louisiana State Bar Association Plan of Legal Specialization
The Louisiana State Bar Association Plan of Legal Specialization was first adopted in 1993 by the Louisiana Supreme Court and was restated in its entirety in March 2017. The purpose of the Plan is to advance the standards of the legal profession by encouraging specialized education in various fields of practice. Further, the Plan is designed to promote the availability, accessibility and quality of the services of lawyers in particular fields of law in order to better serve the public interest and improve public access to appropriate legal services. The Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization (LBLS) is charged with regulating and administering all matters pertaining to specialization in the practice of law and regulating the certification of lawyers as specialists.
The LBLS has approved board certification for members of the bar who practice in the following areas: Appellate Practice, Business Bankruptcy Law, Consumer Bankruptcy Law, Estate Planning and Administration, Family Law, Health Law, and Tax Law. A list of those members who are certified in the foregoing areas of law can be found by visiting the
Louisiana State Bar Association Plan of Legal Specialization website. The areas of Labor Law and Employment Law have been approved for specialization and the LSBA House of Delegates and Board of Governors approved revised
Labor Law Standards,
Labor Law Exam Topics,
Employment Law Standards, and
Employment Law Exam Topics in June 2021. Members of the bar may apply for board certification in Labor Law and/or in Employment Law in 2022.
For members of the bar who are interested in specialization certification, the application period for Appellate Practice, Estate Planning and Administration, Employment Law, Family Law, Health Law, Labor Law, and Tax Law is November 1 to February 28. The application period for Business Bankruptcy Law and Consumer Bankruptcy Law is January 1 to September 30. Information regarding specialization certification may be obtained from the
Louisiana State Bar Association Plan of Legal Specialization website.
The LBLS has adopted written policies concerning submissions for new legal specialty areas. For information, please contact Specialization Director Mary Ann Wegmann at (504) 619-0128 or
maryann.wegmann@lsba.org.