Certified Specialist
Exceptional Professional Credentials
The designation certified specialist in employment and labor law is an important thing to look for when selecting an attorney to represent you in an employment-related matter in South Carolina. This designation means that the attorney has been certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court and its Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization as possessing sufficient expertise and experience in employment and labor law to be recognized as a specialist. There are only four fields of law in which the South Carolina Supreme Court presently allows attorneys to hold themselves out to the public as “specialists”: (1) bankruptcy/debtor-creditor law, (2) employment and labor law, (3) estate planning and probate law, and (4) taxation law.
To become a certified specialist in employment and labor law, an attorney must complete a series of demanding prerequisites: (1) at least five years practicing law on a full-time basis; (2) at least 35 percent of his or her practice devoted to employment and labor law in each of the prior five years; (3) substantial experience in specific areas of employment and labor law; (4) at least 60 hours of continuing legal education credits in approved courses relating to employment and labor law topics within the past five years; (5) completion of a thorough written application listing references from attorneys and judges familiar with his or her competency in employment and labor law; (6) oral interview before an advisory board; and (7) passing score on a rigorous, written examination on substantive issues of employment and labor law. Certification is valid for a period of five years, provided that the attorney maintains at least 15 hours of continuing legal education credit-hours per year relating to employment and labor law.
Representing The Interests Of Employees
As of April 2010, there were only 67 specialists in employment and labor law in the entire state of South Carolina (plus three more who live out-of-state). The overwhelming majority of those attorneys represent management or employers only, not individual employees. David Rothstein has been a certified specialist in employment law since February 2006, and he primarily represents the interests of individual employees in employment-related disputes. He was re-certified as a specialist in June 2011. In addition, Mr. Rothstein currently serves as a member of the Specialization Advisory Board for Employment and Labor Law.
If you are seeking a South Carolina employment attorney, contact us.