Lawyers Can Call Themselves Privacy Specialists, American Bar Association Decides

The ABA’s House of Delegates narrowly approved a Privacy Specialist Resolution for a five-year term at its Feb. 5 mid-year meeting. The ABA approved resolution grants accreditation to the Privacy Law certification program of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). Pursuant to the ABA’s current accreditation Standards and Procedures, the Specialization Committee reviewed, and recommended the approval of, IAPP request for accreditation of its Privacy Law Specialist certification program. To earn the Privacy Law Specialist designation, an attorney must be admitted in good standing to at least one U.S. state bar, pass the IAPP’s CIPP/U.S. exam as well as the CIPT or the CIPM exam, pass the IAPP’s ethics exam, demonstrate in an essay that the attorney has been “substantially involved” in practicing privacy law for at least the prior three years, provide five qualified references, and submit evidence of at least 36 hours in privacy-related continuing legal education during the prior three year period.