Find a Certified Elder Law Attorney

If you are looking for assistance understanding Elder Law, a Certified Elder Law Attorney can help. Before you can sit for the exam, which (last time we checked) has a forty percent pass rate, Certified Elder Law Attorneys (CELAs) must meet the following criteria:

1. Licensed Attorney: You must be a licensed attorney and an active member of the bar in at least one U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any U.S. territory.
2. Good Standing: You must maintain good standing with all bars in the jurisdictions where you are licensed to practice law. This is a continuing requirement.
3. Legal Practice Experience: You must have been actively engaged in law practice for a consecutive five-year period immediately before submitting your short-form application. Alternative experience requirement rules exist for judges and full-time law professors seeking to take the exam.
4. Elder Law Practice: Over the past three years, you must have dedicated an average of at least 16 hours per week to elder law and provided legal services in at least 60 elder law matters, as defined in Section 5.1.4.2 (A) of the NELF Rules and Regulations.
5. Continuing Legal Education (CLE): Within the three years prior to your short form application, you must have completed at least 45 hours of CLE specific to elder law. This requirement continues for each re-certification.
6. References: You must provide the names of five attorneys who are familiar with your competence and qualifications in elder law. These references must not be related to you or engaged in legal practice with you. At least three of these attorneys should have devoted a minimum of 800 hours annually to elder law practice over the last three years. This requirement continues for each re-certification.