There are all kinds of credentials you can obtain. Many of them allow you to add odd combinations of letters after your name in your signature line.

Should you obtain the credentials?

Some of the letters after the name are recognizable: MD, for instance. I had a cat once, so I’m even familiar with DMD.

I get my teeth cleaned three times a year (I’m compulsive) instead of two, so I know the DDS thing pretty well.

But what about the others? How about ASA, CCCA, NREMR, or DD (which stands for Doctor of Divinity—the religious kind and not that white, sugary, sticky stuff in the Pecan Log Roll sold at Stuckey’s)?

Seriously? Does anyone know what all these letters mean? Here’s a list of post-nominal letters for many countries. There are thousands of these things.

Are There Benefits to Adding Letters?

Should you worry about adding letters after your name?

I’m familiar with a few letters in my little family law world that come up often. I see AAML, CDFA, and various letters/words for “Board Certified Family Law Specialist.”

Is it worth doing what you’ve got to do and paying what you’ve got to pay to get the letters?

I’ve been on both sides of some of the letters. When I started practicing law, I wasn’t a Board Certified Family Law Specialist. Then I practiced family law for five years, took a bunch of CLE courses, and applied for certification. I got it and was a specialist for about 15 years. Then I let my specialist designation lapse.

I’ve also asked a bunch of lawyers about their special designations and done some before/after research of their metrics to see whether I could determine a measurable impact of obtaining the credential.

Does it matter?

Yes and no. (Don’t you hate that answer?)

It always matters if there’s a solid educational component built in to obtaining the credential. Getting the board certified designation requires (in most jurisdictions) some extra education plus substantial experience. It may also require recommendations from other practitioners and judges.

Gaining knowledge and experience is always a good thing. You can’t go wrong with learning, right?

On top of all that, many groups organize around the particular professional designation and offer ongoing education. For instance, AAML offers endless opportunities for learning advanced family law skills. That’s good stuff.

But—and this is a big “but”—the designation won’t help you build your practice on its own. I’ve met many lawyers who have spent time jumping through the hoops to gain a credential expecting it to open doors for them and help them with their marketing. It usually doesn’t work.

They think that sticking those letters after their name will generate referrals all by itself. It doesn’t. They hope that being in the directory provided by the purveyor of the magic letters will boost their business. It won’t.

Having the professional designation will help you if you’re doing a good job of marketing. It gives you something new to mention to your referral sources. A new credential provides you with an opportunity to remind referral sources that you exist. However, it doesn’t do it by itself.

The professional designation will only help you if you’re actively involved in building your practice by connecting with others. It will only be of value if you have a systematic approach to staying top of mind with people who matter. The designation adds to your credibility, but only among the people who have the opportunity to know that you exist.

The Upshot

So should you actively pursue one of these designations? I’d absolutely do it if it opens doors to advanced educational opportunities and you’re going to take advantage of those opportunities. However, if that’s not the case, then I’d spend my time/money/energy on something else.

Realistically, your brain may grow as a result of obtaining credentials. Your practice likely won’t.

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