Gordon C. Brydger and Carin Marie Porras are both board certified in marital and family law. What does this mean to their clients?
While many lawyers may handle marital and family law matters at various levels, only those who have met the requirements of board certification are allowed to identify themselves as specialists. Certification is the highest level of recognition by the Florida Bar of the competency and experience of attorneys in the areas of law approved for certification by the state Supreme Court.
Every lawyer certified in marital and family law has practiced law on a full-time basis for at least five years and has been substantially involved in the practice of marital and family law during the five years immediately preceding the application. To be certified, it must be verified that the lawyer has been involved in at least twenty-five contested marital and family law cases in circuit courts during the five years immediately preceding the application. All of these cases must have involved substantial legal or factual issues other than the dissolution of marriage. In each of these twenty-five cases, the applicant must have been responsible for all or a majority of the presentation of evidence and of the representation of the client. At least ten of the twenty-five cases must have been submitted to the trier of fact for resolution of one or more contested issues.
Each certified lawyer has received favorable confidential peer review, completed fifty hours of continuing legal education within the three years immediately preceding application, and passed a rigorous written examination demonstrating sufficient knowledge, skills and proficiency in the field of marital and family law to justify the representation of special competence.
Gordon C. Brydger has been board certified since 1991, and Carin Marie Porras has been board certified since 2003. For several years, Mr. Brydger has been a lecturer for the Florida Bar Family Law Section Certification Review Course, which prepares certification applicants to take the written test. Ms. Porras is a co-chair of the Family Law Section committee which puts together this review course, which occurs annually.
In addition to Board Certification, both Gordon and Carin have received a Martindale-Hubbell AV Peer Reviewed Rating, the highest rating possible. Click here to learn more.