Anybody know if there is any truth to the rumour that the State Bar is thinking of offering Board Certification in State Jail Felony law?

As it was explained to me, state jail felony law gets amended by the legis. every 2 years. It now has so many caveats, exceptions, and provisos, some of which apply in some years and some in others, that it has become such a complex body of law that it warrants its own board certification process, just like Criminal Law, Family Law, Civil Appellate Law, etc.

Inquiring minds want to know.

i couldn't find anything on snopes.com

I heard that rumor also - and wondered if you would have to be recertified at least annually - after the leg. meets in odd years, and after the courts try to figure out how to apply the statutes in even years?!

quote:

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Originally posted by David Newell:
i couldn't find anything on snopes.com

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You're on a roll today, Mr. Newell!

Larry L,

I think you're right. The whole idea behind certification is that you are held out as an expert in that area of the law. If you had to be re-certified less than yearly, you could be woefully out of date.

I suspect no other certification requires yearly re-certification. That would be a pretty rigerous demand, that a lot of fellows would not want to commit to. If you were a defense atty. and you failed to get re-certified one year, all your stationary, and ads with the notation, "Board Certified in State Jail Felony Law," would have to be withdrawn.

I think all of that will discourage people from being certified in this very complex area of the law.