Amelia Crotwell Receives Certification

Amelia Crotwell, CELA

Have you ever received wonderful news and one of those super feel-good moments? That's how I felt when I received official notice that I met all the requirements to become a "CELA," which means I am now a Certified Elder Law Attorney. The National Elder Law Foundation (NELF) is the only organization approved by the American Bar Association to offer certification in the area of elder law. This specialization is also recognized by the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization. Certification is important because it provides a measure of assurance to the public that the attorney has an in-depth working knowledge of the legal issues that impact the elderly.

Becoming certified wasn't easy.  NELF has pretty grueling requirements, including a difficult all-day examination covering a wide variety of legal subjects.  Other requirements include:  extensive peer review, 45 hours of continuing legal education in the elder law field in the last 3 years, and demonstration of handling 60 elder law matters in the last three years covering a variety of 12 different areas of the law.  I studied hard and worked hard, and it feels like a great accomplishment personally and professionally.

I'm grateful to my mentors who've shared their expertise with me over the years and helped me attain this feather in my cap.  I'm grateful to the special people in my life who supported and encouraged me to face this challenge.  And, I'm grateful that I can apply all this knowledge to help my clients achieve their goals and live better lives.