What is the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys
The National Academy of Family Law Attorneys is an organization of family lawyers who work with fellow attorneys around the country. Their goal is to advance the welfare of the family by promoting justice, providing access to the law, and improving the practice of family law in the United States. They offer a number of resources for lawyers and clients alike, including online webinars, discussion groups, and presentations at national conferences. Their mission statement is "to provide the highest quality legal services to the family law consumer and public through the development and standardization of the practice of family law." The vision and objectives of the NAFLA Foundation include preserving the issues of children’s rights, due process, and equal protection under the law. They also strive to achieve the highest standards, so that consumer confidence in family law practices is encouraged through education. They develop programs and processes that will make substantial improvements in how family law is practiced , and examining and measuring improvement of policies through statistical and economic data analysis. They also work to "serve the public through programs designed to meet consumer needs, expectations, and aspirations for the family law legal services system and be an independent voice highly respected by the public, the legal profession, and government for ideas and knowledge." NAFLA sustains its mission by offering accreditation to accomplished attorneys in the field, selecting the top family attorneys to join the organization by invitation only, and regulating its members by performance standards, adherence to their code of ethics and professional responsibility, additional classwork, and publication standards. Special designations are awarded to family attorneys who have made great strides in their field, and they also endorse selected attorneys.
Eligibility and Benefits of Membership
Membership to the Academy is by invitation only, and in order to be invited, a lawyer must be evaluated and selected by a highly credentialed, independently selected panel of fellow attorneys. Acceptance is based on a thorough evaluation of the candidates accomplishments, position within the family law community, professional reputation, and the overall opinion of judges and peers.
The National Academy of Family Law Attorneys currently offers two membership tiers: "Fellow" and "Associate." To qualify for an "Associate" level membership, candidates must either be under 40 years old or have under 10 years of experience practicing family law by the time the application is submitted. The "Fellow" membership is the more prestigious designation of the two, and is open to only those members who have been placed into the top 10% of practitioners within their state or region. The Academy sends scores of nominations to family law attorneys each year, but only a limited number will receive an invitation to join.
Continuing Legal Education and Resources
Education remains at the core of everything that the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys does, as the organization provides various opportunities and resources to its members to continue engaging in their education. Most notably, the NAFLA has strategically developed an advanced degree program that is designed to elevate the status of family law practitioners as a whole. Designed to be the highest peak of legal achievement for family law attorneys, editors, and researchers for living practitioners, the NAFLA Fellow program offers educational resources and professional development opportunities, including access to advanced topics programs and workshops and the opportunity to be published as a co-author, or in certain circumstances, as a sole author.
Certain programs offered by the NAFLA are developmental in nature, allowing practitioners to further their participation and professional development skills, while a number of other programs provided help to further social contributions and the education of other practitioners throughout the United States.
Awards and Recognition
The National Academy of Family Law Attorneys has made a commitment to recognize excellence in the field of family law by offering a series of awards and recognitions to its members. Each accolade is based on a particular set of criteria, which allow the Academy to honor those attorneys who have made significant contributions to the legal profession, their communities, and the field of family law in general.
The Attorney Recognition Program (ARP) was developed by the Academy to ensure that high standards for the practice of law are adhered to in the field of family law. The ARP is comprised of three levels: Premier 10, 10 Best, and Lifetime Achievement. The Premier 10 recognition is the highest awarded by the Academy and is reserved for a single , distinguished family law attorney in each state who demonstrates unparalleled professionalism and excellence. The 10 Best award is presented to the top 10 percent of attorneys in each state. The Lifetime Achievement award recognizes those attorneys who have achieved extraordinary success in the field as demonstrated by their career achievements and professional accomplishments.
Another award offered by the Academy is the "Top 40 Under 40" designation, which is given to the top 40 family law attorneys under 40 years old in each state or region. The Best in Client Satisfaction award recognizes attorneys practicing in family law, divorce and elder law who have achieved the highest ratings from their clients. The 10 best client satisfaction award is given to the top 10 percent of similarly qualified attorneys. In an effort to encourage continuing education in the family law field, the Academy gives the "Top 10 Attorney" award to top family law attorneys who have completed a minimum of 60 hours of continuing legal education (CLE) hours in the preceding three years.
The National Academy of Family Law Attorneys Contribution to Advocacy
The National Academy of Family Law Attorneys supports developments in the law that positively affect children and families. This is done through involvement in issues affecting state legislation, office of the attorney general, department of child services and policy groups. The Academy has played a significant role in reviews of child support guidelines and child custody guidelines in Indiana. In 2005, legislation allowing a court to reduce the amount of child support when a parent was 65 years of age or older was amended to require that the reduction would not cause the parent to fall below the poverty level established in the guidelines. The Academy monitored that legislation and was able to advise the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) of its opinion that the effect would only be to provide for an increase in child support for the benefit of the children and at the same time provide for a reduction in child support as applied and authorized. The DCS agreed with the opinion and successfully opposed the enforcement of that statute. The Academy was highly influential in having the Indiana Supreme Court take action with respect to child support. In particular the Academy successfully advocated for clear rules regarding net income, cost of health insurance, the treatment of spousal support and pensions when calculating child support. The Court established a committee to determine what the guidelines should be to allow for consistency. Over the years, this committee has become highly respected as expert in the field of child support guidelines. In 2008 the Indiana General Assembly passed legislation changing the definition of income tax refund for purposes of determining the income of the non-custodial parent. The Academy opposed the legislation believing it would make tax refunds an automatic reduction in child support obligations without any review of whether it would assist or serve the best interest of the child. The Academy has been highly involved in the review and promotion of custody guidelines. In 2006 the Academy created a children’s committee made up of psychologists and attorneys to develop a set of guidelines specifying the factors that the courts should consider in determining custody. The Academy then met with the Indiana Supreme Court closely in drafting these guidelines. Those guidelines were adopted by the courts and are used by attorneys and the judiciary. The attorneys in the Academy and the commissioners of the appellate courts have been instrumental in the drafting of appellate rules that directly affected the practice of family law; specifically, evidence rules and rules of appellate procedure.
Getting Involved with the Academy
Legal professionals interested in enhancing their careers and professional reputation can connect with the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys in several ways. One option is to attend the Academy’s annual national symposium in Washington, D.C. Here, they can get cutting-edge information from some of the nation’s leading family law attorneys and experts on a variety of modern issues in the field. Many choose to participate in the Academy’s community forums on LinkedIn , where they can ask questions, make comments, and connect with other legal professionals to discuss current topics in family law. Others get involved in their local division of the Academy, through networking events, educational opportunities, and other professional gatherings.