Lawyer certified as a specialist

That standard disclaimer on attorneys' advertising "The State Bar of Nevada does not certify any lawyer as a specialist or expert" doesn't apply to Pat Lundvall any more.

The Reno attorney is among the first in the state to win certification as a specialist under rules that took effect in January.

Lundvall, a partner in McDonald Carano Wilson, earned certification in civil trial advocacy.

Statewide, five lawyers have been certified as specialists.

Lundvall was the first in Nevada to win designation as a specialist in civil trials, and she's the only northern Nevada attorney to win designation in any specialty.

Among the five certified specialists, the state bar said last week three work in civil litigation, one in bankruptcy and one in criminal law.

The state bar and Nevada Supreme Court decided that lawyers can market themselves as specialists as long as they've won designation from a specialty organization approved by the American Bar Association.

Lundvall, for instance, has been certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy since 2001.

That group requires lawyers to pass a day-long examination before it grants certification.

In addition, candidates are required to provide the names of judges and lawyers for reference checks and are required to submit copies of their written legal work for review.

Other specialty organizations recognized by the American Bar Association include groups of lawyers who specialize in bankruptcy, estate planning, elder law, and professional liability.

It's also possible for lawyers who are members of other specialty groups to win certification by asking the state bar to approve their group as a certifying organization.

Other requirements for certification include:

* The lawyer must devote at least a third of his practice to the area in which he's certified as a specialist.

* The lawyer must complete at least 10 hours of continuing legal education a year in the specialty.

* The specialist must carry at least $500,000 in malpractice insurance.

The effects of certification, Lundvall said, are two-fold.

First, they help consumers focus on the type of legal representation that will serve them best.

"We're doing the public a disservice when we don't allow them to distinguish between practitioners," she said.

A good analogy, she said, is board certification of physicians evidence to consumers that a doctor's peers have approved his specialized skills.

The attorneys who win certification, meanwhile, are certain to use the designation in their advertising.

"It's a marketing piece for me," Lundvall said.

"It's an educational piece for the public."

But don't expect a hard-driving marketing campaign based on the new certification.

Tierra Griffiths of MassMedia|Vanguard, which handles marketing for McDonald Carano Wilson, says advertising for Lundvall probably will simply include a phrase such as "board certified specialist in civil trials." "This will help us set her apart from some of the other less-qualified litigators," says Griffiths.

Lundvall, chair of the complex commercial litigation group at McDonald Carano Wilson, handles trials in state and federal courts in Reno and Las Vegas.

Her cases cover subjects such as unfair competition, business contracts and employment law.

A Nebraska native, Lundvall earned bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Nebraska and graduated as valedictorian of her 1989 class from the McGeorge School of Law at Sacramento.

She has been practicing law in Nevada for 14 years.