The Nevada Supreme Court has approved rules that, for the first time, will allow attorneys in the state to advertise they are specialists in a specific area of the law.
Until the rules issued Thursday, all legal advertisements were required to carry the disclaimer stating that "The State Bar of Nevada does not certify any lawyer as a specialist or expert." Some lawyers in fields such as personal injury and family law have long sought to have that rule changed so they can proclaim their expertise.
The rules proposed by the Bar Association and approved by the Supreme Court allow lawyers to state they are a specialist in a particular field of law if they comply with certain requirements, including that they have devoted at least one-third of their practice to a designated field of specialization for the preceding two years or that they have completed 10 hours of accredited continuing legal education in each field of specialization during the preceding calendar year.
They must also carry at least $500,000 in professional-liability insurance unless they practice exclusively in public law.
Lawyers can have more than one specialty on file with the bar, but must pay a $250 renewal fee for each specialty each year in addition to the normal, annual, bar registration fees.
The rules list about three dozen recognized specialties, including personal injury, domestic and family law, bankruptcy, construction, mining, labor and gaming law.
