Attorney Doris Phillips Loomis recognized by NC State Bar for 25 years as board certified specialist

McGuire, Wood & Bissette, P.A. is pleased to announce that attorney Doris Phillips Loomis was recently recognized by the North Carolina State Bar for 25 years of being a board certified specialist in estate planning and probate law. Loomis who joined McGuire, Wood & Bissette in 1981 concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning and probate law. She received her B.S. from Davidson College and her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law.

Board certification is a notable accomplishment. Within the North Carolina legal community, board certification means that a lawyer has substantial, relevant experience in a select field of law as well as demonstrated, and tested, proficiency in that practice area.

Of the more than 25,000 active licensed attorneys in North Carolina only 864 are board certified. Board certified lawyers earn the right to represent themselves publicly as specialists in select areas of law. In fact, they are the only attorneys allowed by the North Carolina State Bar to do so. This designation sets them apart as being lawyers with a public commitment to excellence in their area of law. The process is voluntary and can only take place after an attorney has been in practice for five years, with significant practice experience in the specialty area. Board certification requires an ongoing commitment to the specialty area, which must be verified every five years with references from peers in that field. It also requires additional annual continuing legal education courses so that specialists stay abreast of current trends in law.

When the program began in 1987, three areas of certification were offered: bankruptcy law, estate planning and probate law, and real property law (commercial and/or residential). Doris Phillips Loomis became board certified in 1988 and has maintained the certification for the last 25 years.

The lawyers who supported the program in the early days have enjoyed watching the program succeed and expand, adding seven new specialty areas: appellate practice, criminal law (including juvenile delinquency subspecialty) elder law, family, immigration, social security disability, workers’ compensation and new for 2013—trademark law. Lawyers certified in each of these specialty areas are proud of their accomplishment and of the program as a whole.

For more information about the North Carolina Legal Specialization program, and to view a list of board certified legal specialists by practice area, please visit the Legal Specialization website at www.nclawspecialists.gov or call the State Bar at 919.828.4620.

McGuire, Wood & Bissette, P.A. is the oldest law firm in Asheville, North Carolina continuously in the practice of law since 1894. Since its inception, the firm has engaged in a general civil practice geared toward commerce and industry. McGuire, Wood & Bissette, P.A. is committed to serving its clients’ best interests with effective legal services of the highest quality at a reasonable cost, while adhering to the highest ethical standards and contributing to the well-being of the community.