Do you have certifications or advanced degrees besides your JD?
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At Divorce Discourse, North Carolina lawyer Lee Rosen discusses pursuing additional credentials.
“When I started practicing law, I wasn’t a Board Certified Family Law Specialist,” Rosen wrote. “Then I practiced family law for five years, took a bunch of CLE courses, and applied for certification. I got it and was a specialist for about 15 years. Then I let my specialist designation lapse.”
Rosen’s feeling is that credentials are worth it if there’s an educational component built in to obtaining it. “But—and this is a big ‘but’—the designation won’t help you build your practice on its own. I’ve met many lawyers who have spent time jumping through the hoops to gain a credential expecting it to open doors for them and help them with their marketing. It usually doesn’t work.”
So this week, we’d like to ask you: Do you have any certifications or advanced degrees besides your JD? If so, what are they, and why did you pursue them? Did the credentials help you professionally? Did you obtain them to enhance your law career, or is the credential or degree a remnant from your life in another profession?
Answer in the comments.
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