Board Certification is a mark of excellence and a distinguishing accomplishment for an attorney. Within the Texas legal community, Board Certification means an attorney has substantial, relevant experience in a select field of law as well as demonstrated, and tested, special competence in that area of law. There are more than 100,000 attorneys licensed to practice in Texas and Mark Hefter is one of only 7,450 that are Board Certified. He has been certified under Consumer and Commercial Law and Personal Injury Trial Law since 1997.
Board Certified lawyers earn the right to publicly represent themselves as a specialist in a select area of the law. In fact, they are the only attorneys allowed by the State Bar of Texas to do so. This designation sets them apart as being an attorney with the highest, public commitment to excellence in their area of law.
Becoming Board Certified is a voluntary process and can only be attained after an attorney has been in practice for five years, with a minimum of three years experience in the specialty area. Maintaining Board Certification requires ongoing involvement in the specialty area which is periodically substantiated with references from peers in that field. It also requires annual professional refreshment through TBLS approved, continuing legal education course work to stay abreast of current trends in law.