New Jersey continuing legal education requirements call for 24 credit hours every two years for every actively licensed attorney, with at least 5 of those credits in ethics and professionalism and at least 2 of those 5 covering diversity, inclusion, and the elimination of bias. The remaining 19 credits go to substantive topics relevant to your practice. The Board on Continuing Legal Education administers the rule under Court Rule 1:42, and compliance is certified through annual attorney registration.1New Jersey Courts. Board on Continuing Legal Education Regulations
Which Two-Year Cycle You’re In
Your compliance group depends on your birth date. Attorneys born January 1 through June 30 are in Group 1 and report in even-numbered years. Attorneys born July 1 through December 31 are in Group 2 and report in odd-numbered years.1New Jersey Courts. Board on Continuing Legal Education Regulations Each cycle runs on the calendar year and closes on December 31 of your reporting year. All 24 credits must be in hand by that date.
Live Instruction vs. On-Demand
At least 12 of your 24 credits have to come from live instruction, meaning real-time interaction with the instructor, in person or by synchronous webinar. The other 12 can come from pre-recorded videos, on-demand webinars, satellite broadcasts, or similar alternative verifiable learning formats.2New Jersey Courts. Continuing Legal Education Requirement for Lawyers Admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 2021 Attorneys who neither live nor work in New Jersey, and attorneys who live and work in another mandatory CLE jurisdiction, are not held to the 12-credit live-instruction floor. Every course has to come from a Board-approved provider or satisfy reciprocity standards from another mandatory CLE state.
Extra Rules for Newly Admitted Attorneys
If you are in your first full two-year compliance period after admission, the subject matter of your credits is partly dictated for you. Effective January 1, 2024, newly admitted attorneys must earn at least 16 of their 24 credits across a minimum of six designated New Jersey practice areas.3New Jersey Courts. Notice to the Bar – Amendments to the Regulations of the Board on Continuing Legal Education The 12 eligible subject areas are:
- New Jersey estate administration
- New Jersey estate planning
- New Jersey civil or criminal trial preparation
- New Jersey family law practice
- New Jersey real estate closing procedures
- New Jersey trust and business accounting
- New Jersey landlord-tenant practice
- New Jersey municipal court practice
- New Jersey law office management
- New Jersey administrative law
- New Jersey labor and employment law
- New Jersey workers’ compensation law
At least one credit must specifically cover New Jersey attorney trust and business accounting fundamentals.3New Jersey Courts. Notice to the Bar – Amendments to the Regulations of the Board on Continuing Legal Education These 16 practice-area credits are part of the 24-credit total, not an addition to it. The remaining eight credits can go to any approved topic, including the ethics and professionalism credits every attorney owes.
Who Is Exempt
Not every licensed attorney has to complete CLE. Under BCLE Regulation 202:1, the following categories are fully exempt:4New Jersey Courts. Who Is Exempt from Having to Take CLE
- Attorneys admitted to practice in any state or the District of Columbia for 50 years or more
- Attorneys age 75 and older, regardless of how long they have been practicing
- Attorneys on full-time active military duty, or serving full-time with VISTA or the Peace Corps, for the entire period of that service
- Attorneys fully retired from the practice of law for the entire compliance period
Attorneys on exempt or inactive status under Court Rule 1:28-2(b) are also not subject to the requirement.1New Jersey Courts. Board on Continuing Legal Education Regulations If you return to active practice, the full requirement applies beginning with your next compliance period.
Other Ways to Earn Credits
Attending courses is not the only way to add to your total. Teaching or sitting on a panel at an accredited CLE program earns credit at a 2-to-1 ratio for the time spent presenting, but this double-credit bonus is available only once per compliance period. Actually presenting at a moot court or mock trial (coaching does not qualify) can earn up to six credits per compliance period. Published legal articles may count toward credits if the Board recognizes the written materials.
Carrying Credits Forward
Earning more than 24 credits in a period is not wasted effort. You can carry up to 12 excess credits into the next consecutive compliance period. Carried credits that go unused in that next period expire; they cannot roll a second time. During a transitional compliance period, the carryover cap drops to six. Carryover only works forward, so you cannot pull credits back from a future period to patch a current shortfall.
Reporting and Record-Keeping
You do not report individual courses as you complete them. At the end of your two-year cycle, you certify total compliance through the NJ Courts Annual Attorney Registration system by logging in, going to the CLE compliance section, entering your total hours, and submitting.
Keep your documentation in case of audit. Retain certificates of attendance for at least three years from the date of the course.5United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. New Jersey Continuing Legal Education Certificate of Attendance Each certificate should list the provider, the date of instruction, the number of credits awarded, and whether any portion counts as ethics, professionalism, or diversity and inclusion. Track your live and alternative-format credits separately as you go so you don’t accidentally run past the 12-credit cap on non-live formats. If a certificate does not clearly show the provider’s accreditation, confirm it on the Board’s website before counting the credits.
What Happens If You Fall Short
Missing the deadline or certifying that you did not meet the requirement triggers a noncompliance notice from the Board. You then have a grace period to complete the missing credits and file a new certification, or to apply for exempt status.6New Jersey Courts. Board on Continuing Legal Education Regulations – Regulation 402 Fees stack as the delay grows:7New Jersey Courts. Attorney Forms and Fees – CLE
- Level I noncompliance fee of $50, due when you come into compliance and report within the grace period
- Level II noncompliance fee of an additional $50 (bringing the total to $100) if you remain noncompliant after the grace period ends
If you still haven’t complied when the grace period closes, you go on the CLE Ineligible list and lose authorization to practice in New Jersey. Reinstatement requires a completed reinstatement reporting form, certificates of attendance showing you have earned every missing credit, a $100 reinstatement fee, and payment of any outstanding noncompliance fees.8New Jersey Courts. What Happens If I Am Deemed Ineligible to Practice in New Jersey Due to Failure to Comply with CLE Requirements If you have been non-compliant across more than one compliance period, you owe credits for every period you missed; multiple deficient cycles cannot be collapsed into one. Only one grace period is granted per reporting period, and extensions are not available absent good cause.