A non-profit organization of attorneys who have been designated Specialist in Family Law by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization.
ACFLS was the inspiration of Stephen Adams, one of the first certified Family Law specialists in California. The first specialization designations were given in 1973 as part of a pilot program approved by the California Supreme Court in the areas of criminal law, taxation law and worker’s compensation law. Family Law was added to the pilot program in 1979. In 1980 Family Law became the first specialization area to require an exam, with 70 Family Law attorneys taking the first exam. Later, in 1985, the California Supreme Court approved making the certifications of legal specialists a permanent program.
After the first Family Law certification exam, Adams organized the ACFLS (originally called the Northern California Society of Certified Family Law Specialists). According to Adams, the organization started with a handful of San Francisco Family Law attorneys who had become specialists meeting once a month at a local restaurant to chat and learn from each other. The name was changed to the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists a few years later. ACFLS celebrated its 30th anniversary in December 2010.
It is the mission of ACFLS to promote and preserve the Family Law Specialty. To that end, the Association will seek to:
1. Advance the knowledge of Family Law Specialists;
2. Monitor legislation and proposals affecting the field of Family Law;
3. Promote and encourage ethical practice among members of the bar and their clients; and
4. Promote the specialty to the public and the Family Law bar.
