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Credentials & Recognition

The Rare Stack

Every credential on this page had to be earned — by trying cases, passing examinations, surviving peer review, and continuing to do the work over decades.

Most trial lawyers hold none of these. A few hold one. David Milligan holds nearly all of them.

The Short Answer

In a profession where most trial lawyers hold none of these credentials and a few hold one, David Milligan holds nearly all of them.

This page lists every professional credential Attorney Milligan holds. Each one is independently earned. Each one required specific, verifiable proof of trial capability. When you are comparing attorneys, this list is the apples-to-apples comparison you should be making.

Tier One

The elite earned credentials

These are the three credentials that require a lawyer to actually prove, to judges and peers, that he tries cases and wins them. Each one requires a separate written examination, peer review, and verified trial record. Most lawyers hold none of these.

Tested + Verified

< 3%

of U.S. attorneys nationwide

Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer

National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) — Accredited by the American Bar Association · Recertified February 3, 2026

The NBTA certification is the national gold-standard for trial lawyers. To earn it, an attorney has to prove — with specific numbers — that he has tried cases to verdict. He has to pass a written examination. He has to be reviewed by opposing attorneys, sitting judges, and other senior trial lawyers.

And he has to do it all again every five years to keep the title. Attorney Milligan was most recently recertified on February 3, 2026. This credential is independently accredited by the American Bar Association.

Tested + Verified

< 1 in 100

California attorneys hold this

Specialist in Civil Trial Advocacy

State Bar of California — Board of Legal Specialization

California’s own separate trial-specialist certification. To hold it, an attorney has to pass a distinct written examination separate from the bar exam, document a specific number of completed civil jury trials, and be peer-reviewed by other trial lawyers and judges who have opposed him.

Very few California attorneys carry this designation. It is not a marketing claim. It is an official specialty granted by the State Bar.

Elite Training

Harvard

Law School campus

ABOTA Trial College — Harvard Law School

American Board of Trial Advocates

ABOTA’s Trial College is the organization’s most advanced hands-on trial skills program. It is taught by sitting trial-court judges and the most senior ABOTA members. It is held on the campus of Harvard Law School.

This is not a CLE certificate an attorney earned by sitting through a webinar. Trial College admission is selective. The training is intensive. It is one of the most respected advanced trial skills credentials available to a practicing trial attorney in the United States.

Tier Two

Peer-recognized trial credentials

Distinctions earned through invitation, peer nomination, independent peer rating, or documented case-outcome thresholds. None of these can be bought.

Ranked Associate, ABOTA

American Board of Trial Advocates · invitation only

ABOTA membership is by invitation only. New members must be sponsored by existing members who have watched them try cases, and then voted in. Admission requires a minimum number of completed civil jury trials and a reputation for ethics.

Master Advocate (Faculty Qualified), NITA

National Institute for Trial Advocacy

NITA is the most respected trial-skills training organization in the United States. “Master Advocate — Faculty Qualified” means an attorney has completed NITA’s highest-level training and is himself qualified to teach NITA programs.

Advocate, NITA

National Institute for Trial Advocacy · separate credential

The NITA “Advocate” designation is a distinct credential from Master Advocate. Attorney Milligan holds both. Very few attorneys do.

Life Member, Million Dollar Advocates Forum

< 1% of American attorneys qualify

Membership requires a documented trial verdict, award, or settlement of one million dollars or more. Life membership means the record stands. The Forum limits itself to attorneys with this demonstrated outcome history.

AV Preeminent Rating

Martindale-Hubbell · highest tier

Martindale-Hubbell’s top peer rating. Judged by other attorneys and sitting judges on legal ability and ethical standards. “AV” is the highest level the rating system issues.

Avvo 10.0 “Superb” Rating

Avvo · highest possible rating

Avvo’s 1-to-10 rating is what most consumers see first when they search for a lawyer online. A 10.0 Superb rating is the highest tier the platform issues, weighing experience, conduct, and recognition.

Super Lawyers — 2016 to Present

Top 5% of attorneys in each state · peer nomination + independent research

Selected every year for nearly a decade running. Super Lawyers selects only the top five percent of attorneys in each state through a combination of peer nomination, third-party research, and independent editorial review. Sustained recognition over many years is the useful signal — one-year selections are common; every-year-since-2016 selection is not.

Tier Three

Leadership and service

Elected leadership, peer awards for consumer advocacy, military service, and volunteer search-and-rescue flying.

Past President, Central California Trial Lawyers Association

CCTLA · elected by peers

Elected to lead the regional trial lawyers association by the attorneys who know his work. Leading a regional trial bar organization is a service obligation that takes time away from a law practice; the colleagues who elect a president choose someone they trust to represent the bar.

Two CCTLA Presidential Awards

For outstanding advocacy protecting consumer rights

Presidential Awards from CCTLA are issued at the discretion of the sitting president to recognize specific consumer-advocacy work. Attorney Milligan has received two — for “outstanding advocacy protecting the rights of consumers in civil litigation.”

Board of Governors, Consumer Attorneys of California

CAOC · statewide plaintiff bar

Consumer Attorneys of California is the statewide organization of plaintiff trial lawyers. Its Board of Governors sets the positions CAOC takes on legislation, court rules, and judicial confirmations that affect plaintiffs’ practice. Attorney Milligan served on this board during his term as CCTLA President.

U.S. Navy Veteran (1985–1992)

Honorably Discharged · Gulf of Oman, Asia, Central America

Seven years of active duty in the United States Navy, with operations in the Gulf of Oman, across Asia, and in Central America. Honorably discharged in 1992. The discipline and habits of military service still run the law practice today.

Pilot Award — Tulare County Sheriff Volunteer Search & Rescue Squadron

Instrument-rated pilot · 1,000+ flight hours · Sierra Nevada missions

Attorney Milligan served as a volunteer pilot for the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department Search & Rescue Squadron, flying multiple missions over the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and received a Squadron Pilot Award for that service. Search-and-rescue flying in the Sierras — mountain weather, high density altitude, narrow margins, real stakes — is the kind of flying that builds actual judgment. The same instrument-rated pilot skill also shapes the firm’s aviation-accident practice.

Past & Present

Professional memberships

  • State Bar of California
  • American Bar Association — Litigation Section
  • Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC)
  • Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles (CAALA)
  • Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA / AAJ)
  • Fresno County Bar Association

The Five-Year Commitment

Recertified — on schedule

The NBTA Board Certification requires full recertification every five years — new case documentation, new peer review, continued education, unbroken ethical standing.

Attorney Milligan was most recently recertified on February 3, 2026. The credential does not drift. It is held, renewed, and held again.

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“The cases we take are cases where the medical proof can carry the damages. That is not rhetoric — it is the test every file gets at intake.”

Law Offices of David L. Milligan, APC · Fresno, California

Common Questions About These Credentials

What does “Board Certified Civil Trial” actually mean?

It means the National Board of Trial Advocacy has independently verified that the attorney meets strict requirements for civil trial experience, peer review, ethics, and continuing education. NBTA recertifies every five years. Few attorneys hold this credential.

What is the difference between Specialist in Civil Trial Advocacy · State Bar of CA and NBTA Board Certified Civil Trial?

Both are formal certifications, evaluated independently. The State Bar of California Specialist in Civil Trial Advocacy designation is granted by the State Bar’s Board of Legal Specialization through examination, peer review, and demonstrated experience. NBTA’s Board Certification is a national counterpart with similar rigor. Holding both is uncommon.

What is ABOTA?

The American Board of Trial Advocates. Membership is by invitation only and requires a documented record of jury trials and peer recognition. Fewer than 10% of attorneys nationwide qualify.

How meaningful is the AV Preeminent rating?

AV Preeminent is the highest peer rating Martindale-Hubbell awards. It reflects independent peer evaluation of both legal skill and ethics.

Why does the firm list these credentials prominently?

Many of the firm’s most substantial cases are subject to confidentiality agreements and cannot be discussed publicly. Peer recognitions and forum memberships are an honest indicator of the kinds of cases the firm handles, even when individual case outcomes cannot be described.