WHY CHOOSE A CERTIFIED CRIMINAL TRIAL ATTORNEY
When facing criminal prosecution, choosing a New Jersey criminal lawyer will be one of the most important decisions you will make. Your interests will never be as well protected as when you hire an criminal defense lawyer who is Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer. This certification is the only certification and achievement that is recognized by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Without this certification, you have no way of truly knowing an attorney's trial experience and their ability to secure the best results for your case.
At Cardoso Law, Vando Cardoso is one (1) of those 250 lawyers in New Jersey. Moreover, he is a Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer who used to prosecute the very same types of cases that you are charged with.
The Board on Attorney Certification was established by the Supreme Court of New Jersey in 1980 for the purpose of helping consumers find attorneys who have a recognized level of competence in particular fields of law. Attorneys may be designated by the Supreme Court as “certified attorneys” if they: are able to demonstrate sufficient levels of experience, education, knowledge and skill in a specific area of law or practice; have passed a rigorous examination; and have been recognized by their peers as having sufficient skills and reputation in the designated specialty.
The Supreme Court, through recommendation by the Board, currently certifies attorneys in four areas: civil trial law, criminal trial law, matrimonial law, and workers’ compensation law.
An attorney must meet the following requirements to become certified:
has been a member in good standing of the New Jersey Bar for at least five years;
has taken a specific number of continuing legal education courses in the three years prior to filing an application;
demonstrates substantial involvement in the preparation of litigated matters;
demonstrates an unblemished reputation by submitting a list of attorneys and judges who will attest to the applicant’s character and ability; and
passes a written examination covering various aspects of practice in the designated specialty.”
The Distinction and Why it Matters:
The Supreme Court's certification program was put in place to assist the public when choosing an attorney. It provides a qualified basis to choose an attorney with a proven track record of excellence rather than leave potential clients uninformed when searching through thousands of lawyers claiming to have expertise but are not substantiated by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. The certification process is an intensive, independent, and rigorous review that takes years of trial experience and demonstration of excellence above and beyond.
The certification process involves review by an independent Certification Committee of the lawyer's training, continuing legal education, cases tried to conclusion, inquires of judges and adversaries before whom the attorney tried cases, and an extensive testing of the attorney’s knowledge in the field for which he is being certified. The testing is extremely important because an attorney cannot even qualify to sit for the exam unless he meets the stringent background qualifications needed to apply for certification.
A Certified Trial Attorney is the only designation by the Supreme Court recognizing the attorney as an expert in the field for which he is certified. That is why we are proud of this accomplishment and are even more proud to combine that achievement with the skill, care, and experience that Vando Cardoso provides to his clients every day.
