I hope you dance.

• Author: Frost, II, John W.
• Position: Attorney certification in Florida

Adele dropped the brief on her desk and rubbed her tired eyes ... Ron sank once more into his desk chair as his partner headed home ... Enrique rested his brain, letting his imagination paint the new sign he'd erect next year: "Board Certified in Civil Trial Practice."

These three lawyers, in their approach to their profession, are acting out the title of a popular song that recently swept the country. Instead of settling for the status quo and the least effort, they have each chosen diligence, involvement, and excellence, developing themselves as people and as professionals. They have chosen to become board certified as legal specialists. Or, in the words of the popular song, instead of just "sitting it out" while other lawyers embrace higher standards and increased public awareness, they have decided to dance. Too many Florida lawyers are sitting it out in the matter of certification when they could choose to dance and enhance their lives and the profession itself. When I was asked to write an article explaining why I believe in certification, Lee Ann Womack's song kept running through my mind: "When you have the chance to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance." The songwriter speaks from the viewpoint of a more experienced life veteran inviting a listener to sign up for all the fullness life offers. As I looked back on my own professional choices in preparation for writing these words, I kept finding parallels between a choice metaphorically to "dance" the dances life offers, and the professional choice to develop every facet of our legal expertise to the utmost and to stimulate our determination to help our clients to the maximum.

You may be asking yourself, "Why not just sit out this certification business? Why dance?" There are compelling reasons, and I will discuss three: increased competency, informed choices by prospective clients, and inspired professionalism. In law schools, bar associations, and gathering places, lawyers and law professors are examining these advantages of certification.

The Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics describes a hardworking lawyer sitting at his desk in the late evening hours. (1) He had promised himself, when he gained admission to the Bar, never to take another test. Yet here he was, like the lawyers that introduced this article, reading some recent state Supreme Court case in his area of the law. His motivation? The test he faced, if he passed it, would tell the world (and potential clients) that he...