Attorney

What does "Board Certified" mean?

Board Certification is a voluntary designation program for attorneys and legal assistants. Initial certification is valid for a period of five years. To remain certified, an attorney must apply for recertification every five years and meet substantial involvement, peer review and continuing legal education requirements for the specialty area.

To become Board Certified in a specialty area, an attorney must have:

1. Been licensed to practice law for at least five years;
2. Devoted a required percentage of practice to a specialty area for at least three years;
3. Handled a wide variety of matters in the area to demonstrate experience and involvement;
4. Attended continuing education seminars regularly to keep legal training up to date;
5. Been evaluated by fellow lawyers and judges;
6. Passed a 6-hour written examination.

Certified Consumer Bankruptcy Law specialists can represent non-business debtors and creditors in all areas of bankruptcy including debtor/creditor relations affected by bankruptcy and debt adjustment.

The consumer can identify a Bankruptcy Law Board Certified attorney in one of many ways. A Bankruptcy Law Board Certified attorney is entitled to indicate certification on business cards and letterhead by stating Board Certified Bankruptcy Law - Texas Board of Legal Specialization. The attorney may also display the Certificate of Special Competence awarded by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and list the certification in legal directories and telephone listings under Attorneys - Board Certified.

Fred E. Walker is a Bankruptcy Law Board Certified Attorney. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Bachelors in Business Administration in 1978 and attained a Doctorate in Jurisprudence from Texas Tech University School of Law in 1983.

The Supreme Court of Texas granted a license to Fred E. Walker to practice as an Attorney and Counselor at law in 1983. Mr. Walker was licensed to practice in the U. S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in 1986, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in 1994, and in the U.S Tax Court in 2001.

The Texas Board of Legal Specialization awarded Mr. Walker a Certificate of Special Competence in the field of Consumer Bankruptcy Law in 1989. He was recertified as a Board Certified Consumer Bankruptcy Specialist in 1994, again in 1999, and, most recently, in 2004.

Fred E. Walker has been licensed to practice law for 24 years. He has devoted substantially his entire career to the representation of consumer debtors suffering from financial problems since 1986. He has been recognized as a Board Certified Consumer Bankruptcy Specialist for the past 18 years.

Mr. Walker has proven his competence to handle a wide variety of matters in the area of bankruptcy including debtor/creditor relations affected by bankruptcy and debt adjustment. He attends continuing education seminars regularly to keep legal training up to date, continues to obtain favorable peer review, and passed a rigorous 6-hour written examination in order to obtain and maintain the standards of certification in the field of Consumer Bankruptcy Law.