What does it mean to be a Certified Criminal Law Specialist?
The Arizona Board of Legal Specialization identifies lawyers who have demonstrated superior knowledge, skill, integrity, professionalism and competence in a specific area of law, to better serve the public by increasing the quality of legal services. The Board certifies attorneys in eight areas of law.
To be a Certified Criminal Law Specialist, lawyers must meet the following specific requirements:
- Be licensed to practice law for at least 7 years.
- Be licensed in Arizona for at least 2 years
- Devote the equivalent of 50% of a full-time law practice in the specialty field.
- Handle a specific number of cases in the specialty field.
- Demonstrate integrity, professionalism and a high degree of competence in the specialty field
- Receive favorable peer review from attorneys, judges or other professionals in the specialty field.
- Pass a written examination.
In Arizona, the bar membership is nearing 20,000 active members. Of that number, there were less than 100 lawyers certified as Criminal Law Specialists in 2014. Todd K. Coolidge has been a certified Criminal Law Specialist since 2000. In addition, Mr. Coolidge is a member of the Criminal Law Advisory Commission which screens and nominates applicants for initial certification or re-certification for specialization in Criminal Law.