Cal. Rules of Court, rule 9.35 · Division 3. Legal Specialists

Certified legal specialists

Verbatim from the official edition

Text — As posted by the Judicial Council of California (read October 22, 2026)

(a) Definition

A "certified specialist" is a California attorney who holds a current certificate as a specialist issued by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization or any other entity approved by the State Bar to designate specialists.

(b) State Bar Legal Specialization Program

The State Bar must establish and administer a program for certifying legal specialists and may establish a program for certifying entities that certify legal specialists under rules adopted by the Board of Trustees of the State Bar.

No attorney may be required to obtain certification as a certified specialist as a prerequisite to practicing law in this state. Any attorney, alone or in association with any other attorney, has the right to practice in any field of law in this state and to act as counsel in every type of case, even though he or she is not certified as a specialist.

(d) Failure to comply with program

A certified specialist who fails to comply with the requirements of the Legal Specialization Program of the State Bar will have her or his certification suspended or revoked under rules adopted by the Board of Trustees of the State Bar.

(e) Fee and penalty

The State Bar has the authority to set and collect appropriate fees and penalties for this program.

(f) Inherent power of Supreme Court

Nothing in these rules may be construed as affecting the power of the Supreme Court to exercise its inherent jurisdiction over the practice of law in California.

Notes and commentary — not rule text

History

(Subd (b) amended effective January 1, 2019; previously amended effective January 1, 2007.)

(Subd (c) amended effective January 1, 2007.)

(Subd (d) amended effective January 1, 2019; previously amended effective January 1, 2007.)

(Subd (e) amended effective January 1, 2007.)

(Subd (f) amended effective January 1, 2007.)

Rule 9.35 amended effective January 1, 2019; adopted as rule 983.5 effective January 1, 1996; amended and renumbered effective January 1, 2007.

Source of truth

Edition: As posted by the Judicial Council of California (read October 22, 2026)
Official file: https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/nine/rule9_35
Text hash: sha256 8215c831df03fa033a2c5437ccc3ec2140772c91903e1f40bd44272a660ac82a
Composed by: compose_crc.py 2026-10-22: the Judicial Council's rule pages read paragraph by paragraph; verify_crc.py's second reading of the Council's per-title PDFs finds every paragraph

Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.