Name: What "Board Certified" Means for a Texas Lawyer — and How to Check It
Uploaded: 2026-10-05T12:00:00-05:00
Duration: 1 min 2 s
Channel: Walter Wm. Hofheinz
Description: Being licensed and being board certified are not the same thing. Every practicing Texas lawyer is licensed. Board certification comes from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is awarded in one specific field.

You will see “Board Certified” on this site, which is fair to ask about.

Walter Wm. Hofheinz, Board Certified, Estate Planning and Probate Law — Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Watch the longer version.

It does not mean licensed. Every lawyer practicing in Texas is licensed. Licensing establishes that a lawyer may practice law. It says nothing about what that lawyer practices.

Board certification is narrower. It is granted by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in one named field — here, Estate Planning and Probate Law. It requires substantial documented experience in that field, references from other lawyers and from judges who have seen the lawyer's work, and a written examination. It must be renewed periodically, and it can lapse.

The useful part is that it is checkable. You do not have to take anyone's word for it. The Texas Board of Legal Specialization publishes who is certified and in what field, for every lawyer in Texas, at tbls.org.

Walter Wm. Hofheinz has been Board Certified, Estate Planning and Probate Law — Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1984. The listing is at tbls.org/profile/9791600.

His education, practice and honors: Walter Wm. Hofheinz.