NELF national elder law foundation CELA certified elder law attorney

Attorney Jill M. Sauber is the second attorney to become a CELA® in Minnesota.

What is a CELA®?

A Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA®) earns this special designation through the National Elder Law Foundation (NELF). NELF is the only national organization approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) to offer certification in the area of elder law.

What is the purpose of getting certified as an elder law attorney?

The purpose of the certification program is to identify those lawyers who have the enhanced knowledge, skills, experience, and proficiency to be properly identified to the public as certified elder law attorneys.

A CELA® has put her work and expertise forward for independent review and certification to include showing a significant focus on the practice of special needs and elder law areas, undergoing a thorough ethical and professional review by peers and colleagues, and successfully passing a rigorous day-long written examination (recent pass rates for otherwise qualified applicants have been below 40%).

This is a summary of qualifications for certification:

Licensure

The applicant must be licensed to practice law in at least one state or the District of Columbia.

Practice

The applicant must have practiced law during the 5 years preceding their application and must still be practicing law.

Integrity/Good Standing

The applicant must be a member in good standing of the bars in all places in which they are licensed.

Substantial Involvement

The applicant must have spent an average of at least 16 hours per week practicing elder law during the 3 years preceding their application. In addition, they must have handled at least 60 elder law matters during those three years with a specified distribution among subjects as described in section 5.1.4.2 of the NELF rules and regulations.

Continuing Legal Education

The applicant must have participated in at least 45 hours of continuing legal education in elder law during the preceding 3 years.

Peer Review/Professional References

The applicant must submit the names of five references from attorneys familiar with their competence and qualifications in elder law. These persons must themselves satisfy specified criteria.

Examination

The applicant must sit for the certification examination within 2 years of filing the short form application.