A certification date in a biography tells you when a lawyer first earned the credential. It doesn't establish that the certification is still active. The Texas Board of Legal Specialization ordinarily requires renewal every five years, with obligations during the years between renewals.
What has the lawyer been doing since certification?
For Personal Injury Trial Law, continued involvement generally means devoting at least 25 percent of practice time to the specialty in each year of the certification period. The lawyer needs to meet the annual percentage, rather than average a few busy years across five years of practice.
The lawyer also needs 100 qualifying specialty education hours by December 31 of year five. TBLS permits limited carryover credit.
References from the current period
TBLS asks again for people who know the lawyer's work. At renewal, their dealings with the lawyer must have occurred since certification or the last renewal. The specialty standard requires at least five names. Under the administrative rules, at least three favorable replies are ordinarily required for recertification. Supplying a name cannot ensure that the person answers or gives a favorable evaluation.
Professional-standing and disclosure rules continue to apply. Specified disciplinary proceedings and other reportable matters must be disclosed to TBLS. The organization can request further information and take action under its rules when a concern warrants it.
Is another set of ten trials required?
Read the trial counts in the initial-certification section carefully. The ten lead-counsel cases and five personal injury jury cases are initial requirements. The ordinary renewal standard does not impose those counts again for the next five years.
That distinction matters when a client reads a lawyer's biography. Certification documents an initial qualifying trial history, but it doesn't reveal the number of cases that lawyer tried last year. Ask about recent courtroom work if that information matters to your choice of counsel.
TBLS also requires annual reports and fee payments. These obligations continue even when the five-year renewal date is still some time away.
Common questions
How do I know whether a certification is current?
Use the TBLS directory to look up the attorney. Check the full name and the certification field. Bring any disagreement between that record and a website biography to the attorney's attention, or contact TBLS to resolve the status question.
Can a lawyer keep using an expired certification?
An old certificate establishes a past award. To find out whether it is active now, consult TBLS. Advertising should accurately reflect the lawyer's present status.
Does renewal require the initial exam again?
The initial written exam is not routinely repeated at five-year renewal. The lawyer still has to complete the renewal application, including its practice, education and reference requirements.
Explore the TBLS Personal Injury Knowledge Hub and requirements for Personal Injury Trial Law board certification.
Check the current TBLS standards
For current standards and attorney certification searches, visit the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
ABOUT THE ATTORNEY
Aaron A. Herbert
Founding Attorney
Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law
Aaron founded The Law Firm of Aaron A. Herbert in 2010 to focus on developing each client's case and seeking its maximum value. For over a decade, he has represented people seriously injured in major accidents and industrial catastrophes, pursuing trial verdicts and settlements while working to reduce the stress of litigation.
Education
- Texas A&M University · B.S., Criminal Justice, 1999
- University of Oklahoma College of Law · J.D., 2002; graduated in the top of his class
Trial experience & approach
Aaron earned numerous jury verdicts at boutique personal injury litigation firms. According to his biography, he spent a year as the top-earning litigation attorney at a firm that frequently appeared in verdict searches as having one of the highest numbers of trial wins in Texas. At another Dallas personal injury firm, he moved from managing pre-litigation attorney to managing litigation attorney over seven years as the firm grew into one of Dallas's largest personal injury firms.
His biography describes a reputation as one of America's most aggressive trial lawyers, with noteworthy recoveries from judges and juries and substantial pretrial settlements. Most of those settlements included confidentiality agreements requested by the defense. Aaron has said the recoveries were justified by the injuries and losses involved, which no amount of money could make someone choose to experience.
His approach combines passion, preparation, persistence and courtroom imagination. He believes a well-supported, engaged and motivated team working cooperatively helps deliver strong representation, with the goal of achieving the best possible result for every client.
Dallas roots, military service & publication
Born and raised in Dallas, Aaron enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after high school and later received an Honorable Discharge. He completed his university and law degrees after his military service and became a lifelong Sooners football fan in law school.
Publication: “Litigating Dog Bite Cases,” Texas Dog Law Seminar, Dallas, 2009.
Professional affiliations & recognition
Professional affiliations and recognition listed in Aaron’s biography:
- State Bar of Texas
- American Bar Association
- Association of Trial Lawyers of America (now American Association for Justice)
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Bar Association
- Tarrant County Bar Association
- Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- The National Trial Lawyers – Top 100 Trial Lawyers
Trial experience & approach
Aaron earned numerous jury verdicts at boutique personal injury litigation firms. According to his biography, he spent a year as the top-earning litigation attorney at a firm that frequently appeared in verdict searches as having one of the highest numbers of trial wins in Texas. At another Dallas personal injury firm, he moved from managing pre-litigation attorney to managing litigation attorney over seven years as the firm grew into one of Dallas's largest personal injury firms.
His biography describes a reputation as one of America's most aggressive trial lawyers, with noteworthy recoveries from judges and juries and substantial pretrial settlements. Most of those settlements included confidentiality agreements requested by the defense. Aaron has said the recoveries were justified by the injuries and losses involved, which no amount of money could make someone choose to experience.
His approach combines passion, preparation, persistence and courtroom imagination. He believes a well-supported, engaged and motivated team working cooperatively helps deliver strong representation, with the goal of achieving the best possible result for every client.
Dallas roots, military service & publication
Born and raised in Dallas, Aaron enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after high school and later received an Honorable Discharge. He completed his university and law degrees after his military service and became a lifelong Sooners football fan in law school.
Publication: “Litigating Dog Bite Cases,” Texas Dog Law Seminar, Dallas, 2009.
Professional affiliations & recognition
Professional affiliations and recognition listed in Aaron’s biography:
- State Bar of Texas
- American Bar Association
- Association of Trial Lawyers of America (now American Association for Justice)
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dallas Bar Association
- Tarrant County Bar Association
- Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- The National Trial Lawyers – Top 100 Trial Lawyers