What Does It Mean to Be Board Certified by the Florida Bar?

How Our Criminal Defense Lawyer Can Help You

Attorneys Mark Horwitz and Vince Citro are board-certified as criminal trial specialists by the Florida Bar and the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA). Fewer than 1 percent of all Florida attorneys are board-certified in criminal law, and even fewer are certified by the NBTA.

How Is Board Certification a Reflection of an Attorney's Skill?

In order to obtain the initial certification by the Florida Bar and the NBTA as a Specialist, the attorney must pass a written examination, show that she/he devotes a substantial portion of her/his practice to criminal defense and has a substantial number of trials. In addition, the attorney must be considered ethical, professional and competent by her/his peers. The attorney must continue to meet ongoing requirements because certification is reviewed every five years. Click on the links below if you would like to review the specific requirements that a certified specialist must accomplish.

• NBTA Standards for Criminal Trial Certification
• Florida Bar: Board Certification in Criminal Trial Law

In other words, an attorney can be board-certified only if he or she is knowledgeable in an area of law, has significant experience and is respected by other lawyers and judges. When you hire a board-certified attorney, you can expect to be represented well, by an attorney “who meets exacting standards of experience and competence in trial work” writes the Supreme Court of the United States. The Supreme Court of the United States continued “There is no dispute about the bona fides and the relevance of NBTA certification.”

Mark Horwitz and Vince Citro are board-certified criminal defense lawyers who specialize in criminal trials. They are also former federal prosecutors with more than 45 years of combined criminal law experience. When you are facing life-altering consequences, you should expect and require the best in your defense lawyer. The lawyer defending your liberty should have extensive experience in criminal trials. Certification by the NBTA and the Florida Bar are factors which you should consider when hiring the attorney to defend your liberty.

Contact the Law Offices of Horwitz & Citro, P.A., today to learn how we can assist you. Call (407) 901-5852.