Specialization has been a part of the legal profession in America since the early days of independence. Formal specialization, however, has been slow to develop. As the legal profession has become increasingly accountable to the public for the services it provides and for the efficient functioning of the monopoly it holds, new ways have been found, such as advertising and continuing legal education to increase access and competence. Now, uniform standards for specialization are needed. For lawyer specialization to be meaningful, however, State-by-State adoption must give way to a national plan. A national board system would be the best plan for quickly and efficiently creating a meaningful specialization system. If the legal profession does not provide regulation soon, outside forces such as the courts and legislatures will take over the task. A total of 38 notes accompany the text. Three sidebars discuss the term 'specialization,' the disparity in the State laws regulating legal advertising, and discuss recognition of trial advocacy as a specialty. Thirty-eight footnotes are included. (Author summary modified)