The Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) has released a Third Edition of Certification: The ICE Handbook, a step-by-step guide to designing and implementing effective professional certification programs, written by recognized experts. The book is a practical and useful guide for those developing new certification programs, those who want to improve the quality of their programs, and those who plan to seek accreditation of their programs. Even certification organizations that do not plan to seek accreditation will benefit from the knowledge in this book as a means to improve their certification programs.

Pillsbury attorneys Jerry Jacobs, Julia Judish and Dawn Crowell Murphy were selected to author the “Certification Law” chapter, further extending Pillsbury’s longstanding relationship with ICE. The Certification Law chapter is new in the Third Edition and provides a comprehensive overview of legal issues that are essential for certification organizations to understand. Topics addressed include governance, antitrust, ethics codes, accessibility requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and data privacy laws. 

Pillsbury is legal counsel to ICE’s accreditation division, the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Pillsbury also assisted ICE and the American Society for Association Executives (ASAE) in spearheading the formation of the Professional Certification Coalition (PCC) in 2018; Pillsbury attorneys Craig Saperstein, Julia Judish, and Jerry Jacobs serve as the PCC’s legal counsel, advising on legislative threats and opportunities for the certification community. 

Pillsbury’s Nonprofit Organizations practice possesses extensive experience in certification law issues and a broad base of certification organization clients. Jerry Jacobs authored the Certification and Accreditation Law Handbook, published by ASAE. Both Julia Judish and Dawn Crowell Murphy also co-authored chapters in the Third Edition of that treatise, published in 2016.

To order a copy of Certification: The ICE Handbook (3rd ed. 2019), please click here.

To order a copy of the Certification and Accreditation Law Handbook (3rd ed. 2016), please click here.