Consumer Bankruptcy Journal Spring 2015 | Página 23

Certified Bankruptcy Specialist
legal education devoted to bankruptcy
law. The attorney must also submit
references from both opposing counsel
and other debtors’ counsel, and those
references must give good references
and be familiar with the applicant’s
practice and knowledge of the law.
The attorney must have substantially
participated in no less than 30
adversary proceedings or contested
matters. The applying attorney must
also have a clean grievance history with
his/her local professional responsibility
governing body for all jurisdictions in
which the applicant is licensed. The
application, which includes supporting
evidence that the applicant meets
the requirements for certification, is
reviewed by a committee to ensure
compliance.
In addition to the above requirements,
the applicant must pass an exam. The
exam is comprised of three (3) parts.
The first is a multiple choice exam
which is offered to not only consumer
attorneys, but also to creditors’ rights
and business bankruptcy applicants.

The second portion is the ethics portion
which is comprised of essays. The
last section is the essay portion over
substantive law. The applicant is given
several hours to complete the exam
and can bring a copy of the Bankruptcy
Code, the UCC and a copy of their
state’s ethical rules. Once the exam is
completed, it is graded by the Faculty
Committee which includes a wide of
variety of academics, judges, trustees
and the like. The examination is offered
several times a year in conjunction with
national and regional conferences. On
April 23, 2015, ABC will offer the exam
in conjunction with NACBA’s Annual
Convention at the Chicago Marriott
Downtown. At any time, the applicant
can arrange for a proctor to administer
the examination in the applicant’s
office.
The application process will take
several months to complete. Once
the application is reviewed and
approved and once the examination
is successfully passed, the applicant
is notified via letter and will receive a

beautiful certificate to display and a
lapel pin to proudly demonstrate that
he/she is one of the elite.
The certified specialist must also apply
for recertification every five (5) years.
While one does not have to retake the
test or detail participation in contested
matters or adversary proceedings,
he/she must give new references,
show compliance with the enhanced
requirement for CLE hours and
maintained a good grievance history.
This demonstrates that the specialist
has maintained the highest level of
professionalism and dedication to the
practice of consumer bankruptcy.
I have been a certified specialist since
2007 and encourage all consumer
practitioners to strive to be board
certified. For more information on
becoming a board certified consumer
bankruptcy specialist, visit http://www.
abcworld.org. Note that each state
has its own rules for certification. The
applicant should also review the rules
and regulations of his/her individual state(s).

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