The Florida Bar has selected adoption attorney Michael A. Shorstein as the inaugural chair on the newly formed committee serving the State of Florida’s Adoption Law Certification Program for a three-year term.
The standing committee is one of The Florida Supreme Court’s approved areas of law certification allowing consumers to identify lawyers who have met established standards in particular practice areas. Those certified will be the only Florida lawyers able to identify themselves as specialists or experts. The Adoption Law Certification Program evaluates attorney’s specialized knowledge, skills, proficiency, professionalism and ethics.
“Mr. Shorstein was selected for the inaugural chair position because of his distinguished involvement in Florida’s adoption law,” said Florida Bar President Jesse Diner. “Mr. Shorstein and his committee will have the task of reviewing credentials of the first group of applicants, whose certification provides them with the highest level of evaluation by The Florida Bar for the competency and experience they bring to adoption law.”
The announcement of Shorstein’s position comes with appropriate timing, National Adoption Month, which serves to highlight the benefits and positive outcomes of adoption and heighten awareness about the need for loving families to adopt children.
Shorstein will chair a nine-member committee who expects to have a significant number of adoption attorneys meet the rigorous qualifications, which will identify them as board- certified.
“Florida’s board certification program benefits consumers and lawyers by recognizing them as experts in their field,” said Shorstein. “Adoption law is incredibly complex with legalities in interstate and intrastate adoption placement, parental right termination, and other civil matters. The committee’s efforts will raise the standard to which all of these issues are litigated on behalf of a birth mother or an adoptive family.”
Certification is the highest level of evaluation by The Florida Bar of the competency and experience of attorneys in areas of law approved for certification by the Supreme Court of Florida. Florida offers the greatest number of state-approved certification areas in the nation.
The first group of applicants is expected to complete their certification in June, 2011 with ongoing certification annually.
For more information about the Florida’s Adoption Law Certification Program, contact Stacey Piland, The Florida Bar at www.SPiland@flabar.org or (850) 561-3141.
