The Children’s Commission would like to congratulate the 45 judges and attorneys from across Texas who recently achieved Board Certification in Child Welfare Law. To see a list of these specialists, please link to the Texas Board of Legal Specialization website, " Find a Certified Lawyer " web page. The Children's Commission supports Texas judges and attorneys seeking TBLS specialization in the area of Child Welfare Law by offering reimbursement of the TBLS examination fee. For more information on the TBLS examination fee reimbursement, please link to the Children's Commission web page for judges , or for attorneys .

The 2019 applications for Texas Child Welfare Law Specialization are now available online until  Tuesday, April 30, 2019, at the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS) “ Get Certified ” page. Among other requirements, applicants must be licensed to practice law as an active member of the State Bar of Texas for at least 5 years and show substantial involvement in specific matters and cases. Applicants will be notified in July 2019 of the TBLS decision to admit them to take the exam, and the exam will be held on October 14, 2019, in Austin. For details concerning the application process and exam information, please visit  www.tbls.org , contact TBLS at  [email protected] , or call 1-855-277-8257.

The National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) also offers a national certification called the Child Welfare Law Specialization (CWLS). Like the TBLS certification described above, the CWLS process involves meeting stringent application criteria and passing a challenging exam. The CWLS is offered on a rolling basis throughout the year.

The Children’s Commission also offers a reimbursement scholarship for the CWLS application fee or exam fee for those applicants who successfully pass their CWLS exam. Reimbursement through the Commission is also available for those current CWLS who choose to re-certify. For additional information, please link to the Children’s Commission web page for judges , or for attorneys.

Hosted by the State Bar of Texas Child Protection Law Section, this two-day CLE will be held on March 28-29, 2019, at the Crowne Plaza Dallas – Market Center. This course has been approved for 10.75 hours of Continuing Legal Education, including two hours of ethics, and will have lectures and live demonstrations on topics related to all aspects of CPS cases, from intake through trial and appeal.

To access the course brochure or to register online, please visit the Child Protection Law Section web page.

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For a complete list of  Jurist in Residence Letters  and  Attorney Resource Letters , please visit the Children's Commission website. Information provided by the Children’s Commission should not be read as a commentary by the Supreme Court of Texas or any other court. For more information about the Children’s Commission, please visit our  website .