There are over 38,000 lawyers in New South Wales. Of those lawyers, approximately 1,700 are accredited specialists in one or more areas of 13 areas of law and are considered experts in their particular area of law.
In the following article, we’re going to be taking a look at accredited family law specialists and how they can ensure the best outcome for your case.
Learn more about our family law services.
What are the Requirements for Lawyers to Become Accredited Specialists?
To be recognised with Specialist Accreditation by the Law Society of New South Wales under its Specialist Accreditation Scheme, lawyers must satisfy the following requirements:
- demonstrate their ability to solve problems through rigorous written and live assessments
- demonstrate that they can communicate effectively through rigorous written and live assessments
- demonstrate that they can apply the law in their relevant area through rigorous written and live assessments
- have a current practising certificate
- be a current member of the Law Society of NSW
- have at least five years’ full time experience in law
- in each of the three years immediately prior to their application for accreditation, have been engaged in their area of speciality
- in those three years have practiced in that area of law for no less than 25 percent full time practice
Accredited Specialists: The Superior Choice
The process is both highly competitive and challenging with only a small number of solicitors recognised as an Accredited Specialist each year. These requirements ensure that only the most qualified, knowledgeable and experienced solicitors obtain Specialist Accreditation.
The professional development for lawyers who are Accredited Specialists continues throughout their practice, with these lawyers being required to renew their accreditation and membership with the Law Society of NSW annually as well engage in substantial continuing legal education to ensure that their knowledge and application of the law is continually up to date.
Accredited Specialists must undertake double the amount of hours of professional development of solicitors who are not accredited in their professional development each year.
This means that Accredited Specialists are constantly assessing changes in the law and its practice to ensure that they continue to be highly skilled and maintain their accreditation as a specialist.
How Can You Tell Whether Your Lawyer is an Accredited Specialist?
You can identify lawyers who have fulfilled the accreditation requirements to become an accredited specialist because they are entitled to use the term “Accredited Specialist” after their name and use the “Accredited Specialist” logo as a mark of excellence.
This allows both members of the public and other professionals to identify lawyers with a demonstrated knowledge and ability in their particular area of law. If you are seeking to engage a lawyer for your family law matter, you should definitely look for the “Accredited Specialist” title or logo (as shown above) which is a guarantee that your matter is being dealt with by an expert.
Finding Principal Legal Representation for Your Family Law Matter
In the area of family law, it is important to have an expert in family law on your side to achieve the best possible outcome for you and your family. When you engage an Accredited Specialist in family law, you can be confident that your specialist family law solicitor has the expertise and skill required to run your case from start to finish with superior knowledge as an expert in the field of family law. Family law is an incredibly specialised area of law so it is important that you engage a solicitor with demonstrated skills in family law. By retaining an Accredited Specialist in your family law matter you can be confident that your solicitor will rigorously advocate for you and your children’s needs.
Although you may be concerned about the costs of engaging a more experienced solicitor for your family law matter, by engaging an Accredited Specialist early you can rest assured that your solicitor has the ability to identify the real issues in your matter early, provide quality personalised advice, draft documents more proficiently and engage the most appropriate dispute resolution process and strategy to finalise your matter effectively and efficiently. Further, dealing with an Accredited Specialist in Family Law means less reliance on expensive barristers when drafting documents and appearing at Court.
Dettman Phair Lawyers: The Leading Family Law Accredited Specialists
At Dettmann Phair Lawyers, Damian Phair has practised continuously in Family Law and Divorce for over 22 years, holds a Masters Degree in Family Law and is an Accredited Family Law Specialist with the Law Society of New South Wales. Damian specialises in all areas of family law and throughout his career has built a reputation for his tenaciousness and unwavering dedication to the interests of his clients.
If you require assistance with your family law matter or are contemplating taking the steps associated with separation, we can help.
Get in touch with our accredited and experienced family law team at Dettmann Phair Lawyers on (02) 9412 4500 to get started with your case.
