Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS)

The Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS) was established in 1974 by the Supreme Court of Texas at the request of State Bar of Texas to "...serve the public interest and advance the standards of the legal profession." 

The TBLS commitment to excellence extended into the paralegal profession in 1994 when the organization became the first state-associated program in the nation to certify paralegals in specialty areas of law.

The Texas Board of Legal Specialization is the only governing board authorized by the Supreme Court of Texas and the State Bar of Texas to certify paralegals in eight legal specialty areas. Board certification helps insure that the citizens of Texas receive the highest quality legal services.

Specialty Areas

Board Certified Paralegals are experts in eight (8) select areas of Texas law:

• Bankruptcy - protections and obligations of the bankruptcy code for individuals and businesses experiencing financial difficulty
• Civil Trial - litigation involving contracts, businesses and business owners, negligence, creditors and debtors, fair debt collection, landlord and tenant, and deceptive trade practices act
• Criminal - misdemeanor and felony crimes, arrest, detention, plea bargains, jury and non-jury trials (for individuals 17 years of age or older)
• Estate Planning and Probate - conserving and protecting property through wills and trusts, transferring property through gifts and wills, providing financial resources for minor children, probate proceedings, elder law issues and minimizing taxes on estates
• Family - marriage, adoption, divorce, custody, support plus ownership of property acquired before and during marriage
• Oil, Gas and Mineral - comprises law applicable to oil, gas and other minerals and interests in oil, gas and other minerals and to the acquisition, ownership, leasing, development, transfer, disposition and financing of these substances
• Personal Injury Trial - litigation based on an individual's injury from automobile accidents, professional malpractice, defective products or negligence by another
• Real Estate - purchase, sale, rental and financing of residences, commercial buildings and rural land

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