Attorney Registration and CLE

Scope

This file covers New Jersey's annual attorney registration requirement — who must register, the registration cycle and payment deadline, and the fee schedule as displayed on njcourts.gov — and New Jersey's mandatory continuing legal education (CLE) requirement: credit counts, subject-matter minimums, the special first-cycle requirement for newly admitted attorneys, and the consequences of non-compliance. It is New Jersey-specific, as is all of module 04; it does not cover other states' registration or CLE programs, the federal courts' continuing-education obligations, or the content of any particular CLE course.

Legal Explanation

Annual registration (NJ-specific). All New Jersey attorneys must complete the online registration process at the beginning of the calendar year [S1]. The annual registration is the system through which attorneys pay their annual assessment, activate access to eCourts for civil, criminal, and appellate litigation, reset passwords and set up two-factor authentication, change their address, email, and phone number on file with the courts, and change their status with regard to payment and pro bono exemptions [S1]. Two-factor authentication is required and uses the most recent email address or cell phone number entered into the online registration system [S1]. First-time registrants receive a Mandatory Electronic Attorney Registration notice mailed to their address of record, which contains their user ID and temporary password [S1]. Employers may pay the assessment on an attorney's behalf as a convenience, but payment is ultimately the individual attorney's responsibility, and attorneys are told to follow up with their employer and ensure payment has been made to avoid ineligibility [S1].

Fee schedule (NJ-specific; amounts as displayed on the official page on 2026-08-20). The registration fee is based on the attorney's calendar year of admission [S1]. The 2026 fee schedule published on the official page sets the annual payment for attorneys admitted from 1978 through 2022 at $267 if received on or before March 20, 2026, and $307 if received after March 20, 2026 but before placement on the Ineligible List [S1]. Attorneys admitted in 2023 or 2024 pay $238 if received on time and $278 if received late; attorneys admitted in 2025 pay $35 on time and $75 late [S1]. Attorneys admitted in 1977 or earlier are exempt from payment with no late fee, and attorneys admitted in 2026 are exempt from payment for 2026 because it is their first calendar year of admission [S1]. A second 2026 schedule for attorneys other than New Jersey-licensed attorneys lists a $267 annual payment, a $40 late fee if paid after March 20, 2026, a $50 fee for reinstatement from one year's Ineligible List, and a $100 fee for reinstatement from two or more years' Ineligible List [S1]. There is no fee for ACH and JACs payments, while Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover payments include a 3 percent service fee [S1]. Attorneys admitted pro hac vice in accordance with Rule 1:21-2 make the same annual payment as licensed New Jersey attorneys in their 5th through 49th years [S1]. Fees and deadlines change from year to year; these figures were verified only as displayed on the official page on 2026-08-20 [S1].

Exemptions from payment (NJ-specific). Exemptions from payment are only as defined and cannot be claimed solely by being prohibited from private practice, by being out-of-state, or by being exempt from pro bono counsel assignment [S1]. Payment exemptions are automatically granted to plenary license holders who were admitted in the current calendar year or who have been admitted to practice in New Jersey for 50 years or more [S1]. Attorneys in retired or military status must still file an annual registration even if no payment is due, and must inform the Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection immediately if they no longer qualify for an exemption [S1]. Retired attorneys may request the retired exemption through the online system [S1]. A pro bono questionnaire is part of the online annual registration, and attorneys qualify for defined pro bono exemptions — for example, exemption code 86 for attorneys who are completely retired or not currently practicing law, exemption code 90 for attorneys with a bona fide office in another state, and exemption code 88 for attorneys who perform at least 25 hours of pro bono services for domestic violence service providers in New Jersey [S4]. In-house counsel with offices in New Jersey, and attorneys practicing on a per diem basis or through temporary employment agencies, are eligible to receive pro bono assignments and are not exempt [S4].

The CLE requirement (NJ-specific). Unless otherwise exempt, every active New Jersey licensed attorney in good standing must complete 24 credit hours of continuing legal education every two years [S5]. Of those 24 credits, five must be in ethics and/or professionalism, and at least 2 of those 5 must be in diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias (BCLE Regulation 201:1) [S5]. A minimum of one-half of the credits must be earned live, as defined in the Board's regulations (BCLE Regulation 201:8) [S5]. Effective January 1, 2024, the definition of live instruction was amended to include certain alternative verifiable learning formats, such as courses presented on videotape, audiotape, remote-place viewing, or online platforms as the Board's regulations specify [S2][S5]. A credit hour is 50 minutes of instruction time in Board-accredited continuing legal education courses (BCLE Regulation 103:1(j)) [S5]. The requirement applies to any attorney with a plenary or limited license to the New Jersey bar who is in good standing, regardless of whether the attorney is practicing New Jersey law; the program is mandatory for attorneys, judges, in-house corporate counsel, attorneys who work for government entities, and those not otherwise exempt [S5]. The program is administered by the Supreme Court Board on Continuing Legal Education, whose staff can be reached through the email and phone number published on its page [S2]. Continuing legal education is defined as any legal, judicial, or other educational activity designed principally to maintain or advance the professional competence of attorneys and/or to expand an appreciation and understanding of the ethical and professional responsibility of attorneys (BCLE Regulation 103:1(i)) [S5]. Activities that will not be given CLE credit include writing or publications, mentoring another attorney, pro bono work, teaching and/or attending law school classes, and activities used to market or sell the presenter's technology, products, services, or skills (BCLE Regulation 301:7) [S5]. Through reciprocity, New Jersey will accept credits for courses that are accredited in another mandatory CLE jurisdiction, provided the type of credit is not otherwise excluded by the Board's regulations, and there is no fee for reciprocity (BCLE Regulation 201:4) [S5].

Newly admitted attorneys (NJ-specific). During the newly admitted lawyer's first full two-year compliance period, within the general 24-credit CLE requirement, a newly admitted lawyer with a plenary license in New Jersey must obtain 16 credit hours in at least 6 of the following 12 subject areas: New Jersey basic estate administration; New Jersey basic estate planning; New Jersey civil or criminal trial preparation; New Jersey family law practice; New Jersey real estate closing procedures; New Jersey attorney trust and business accounting fundamentals; New Jersey landlord/tenant practice; New Jersey municipal court practice; New Jersey law office management; New Jersey administrative law; New Jersey workers' compensation law; and New Jersey labor and employment law [S3][S5]. At least one credit of the required sixteen credits must be in New Jersey attorney trust and business accounting fundamentals [S3][S5]. A newly admitted lawyer is defined by the Board as a lawyer who becomes an active member of the New Jersey bar for the first time [S3]. Newly admitted attorneys with a limited license do not have to take the 16-credit new-admit coursework [S3]. Depending on when they were admitted and where their birth month falls, some newly admitted attorneys may have a one-year transitional reporting period [S3]. The CLE Board's page announces that the newly admitted attorney requirement took effect January 1, 2024 [S2]. The Board also announces a new CLE requirement effective January 1, 2027 adding technology-related subjects, adopted through amendments to Court Rule 1:42-1 and to CLE Regulations 103:1 and 201:1 [S2]. The credit-count details of the new technology requirement are set out in the notice and order linked from the Board's page, which was not opened within this topic's fetch budget; only the announcement text on the page itself is stated here [S2].

Reporting CLE compliance (NJ-specific). Attorneys report CLE compliance through the annual attorney registration process, in groups keyed to birth month — the Board's page states that Group 1 attorneys (birth month January through June) were due to report compliance with the CLE requirement during the 2026 attorney registration process [S2].

Consequences of non-compliance (NJ-specific). For the annual registration, payment received after the schedule's deadline is subject to a late fee, and the official schedule contemplates placement on an Ineligible List for attorneys who do not pay [S1]. For CLE, an attorney who reports not having completed the CLE requirement by the course completion deadline is assessed a $50 noncompliance fee and given a grace period to complete the requirement — for the 2025 cycle, the deadline was December 31, 2025 and the grace period ran until June 26, 2026 (BCLE Regulation 402:1) [S2]. After the grace period expires, attorneys can no longer report CLE compliance through the online registration system; those who fail to complete and/or report compliance by the expiration of the grace period are assessed an additional $50 noncompliance fee, for a total of $100, and must submit a reporting form provided by the Board along with documentation proving compliance [S2]. Attorneys who remain noncompliant with the CLE requirement are subject to being declared administratively ineligible to practice New Jersey law, pursuant to BCLE Regulation 402:3 [S1][S2]. To be removed from the CLE Ineligible List, attorneys must make up all required credits for each compliance period in which they are noncompliant and pay all required fees [S2][S1]. The official fee schedule repeats these figures, noting the $50 noncompliance fee, the additional $50 (for a total of $100) assessed against attorneys who fail to complete their courses within the grace period of June 26, 2026 or who fail to report CLE compliance at all, and the administrative-ineligibility consequence under BCLE Regulation 402:3 [S1]. The registration page also notes that even an attorney who has not satisfied the CLE requirement is encouraged to complete the annual registration and payment by the March 20, 2026 deadline to avoid registration late fees [S1].

NJ-specific vs national. Everything in this file is New Jersey-specific: the annual registration system, fee schedule, and CLE requirements are administered by the New Jersey Judiciary under its court rules and the regulations of the Supreme Court Board on Continuing Legal Education, and no part of it is an NCBE or national rule [S1][S2]. Attorneys licensed in other states, or taking the bar exam elsewhere, must check their own jurisdictions' registration and CLE regimes [S1].

ELI-10: Explain It Like I'm 10

[HYPOTHETICAL — NOT A REAL CASE] Imagine your town's youth basketball league. To be a coach, you need a league badge, and you must renew it every single January at the league office. Renewal means filling out one form, paying a fee that depends on how many years you have been coaching — a brand-new coach pays nothing the first year, and a coach who has coached for half a century pays nothing either, but everyone in between pays something, and the amount grows a little if you are late — and answering a short question about whether you are volunteering for the town's community teams this season.

Separately from the badge, the league makes every coach take training classes: 24 hours of coaching classes every two years. At least 5 of those hours must be about fair play and treating players right, and 2 of those 5 must be about making sure no player is left out because of who they are. Half of the training has to be in a real classroom with a real instructor, not just videos at home. A coach who just got their badge has an extra rule: 16 of the 24 hours must come from a list of town-specific classes, like running a clinic, managing the equipment shed, or understanding the town's safety rules, and at least one of those hours must be the equipment-accounting class.

If a coach forgets to renew the badge, the league charges a late fee and eventually takes the badge away — the coach is on the "can't coach" list until they pay what they owe. If a coach misses the training deadline, the league charges $50, then another $50 if the coach still has not finished within the extra grace period, and if the coach just never finishes, the badge is pulled until every missed class is made up and every fee is paid. A coach who cannot coach is not allowed anywhere near the bench.

Translating back to the real rule: the yearly badge renewal is New Jersey's annual attorney registration, which every New Jersey attorney must complete at the beginning of the calendar year [S1]. The admission-year-based fee is the official annual-assessment fee schedule, verified on njcourts.gov on 2026-08-20 [S1]. The 24 training hours every two years are New Jersey's CLE requirement, including the 5 ethics/professionalism credits with at least 2 in diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias, and the half-live rule [S5]. The new-coach extra classes are the 16-credit, 6-of-12-subject-areas requirement for newly admitted attorneys, with the trust-and-business-accounting credit [S3]. And the pulled badge is administrative ineligibility to practice New Jersey law for attorneys who remain noncompliant [S1][S2].

Real Case Reference (if applicable)

No published decision squarely addresses the annual attorney registration or CLE credit requirements themselves; those are administrative requirements administered through the New Jersey Judiciary's online registration system and the Supreme Court Board on Continuing Legal Education's regulations, so the governing authority for this topic is that administrative framework as stated on the official pages cited above [S1][S2][S5]. One real case is connected to the registration process through its pro bono component: Madden v. Delran, 126 N.J. 591, 601 A.2d 211 (1992), which the Judiciary's own registration FAQ cites as Madden v. Delran, 126 N.J. at 607-08 [S4]. The case concerned the mandatory assignment of New Jersey attorneys to represent indigent litigants in right-to-counsel cases; the Court recognized that attorneys assigned to pro bono matters frequently lack experience in the substantive area of law involved, and held that if the trial judge is convinced the assigned counsel will provide ineffective assistance of counsel, the judge should direct the assigned counsel to obtain a substitute [S4]. The decision date (argued October 22, 1990; decided February 10, 1992) is confirmed by the opinion text on CourtListener [S7]. A 2023 New Jersey Lawyer article, "Madden v. Delran on Its 30th Anniversary," located through Google Scholar, also discusses the case [S6]. The case's reporter citation (126 N.J. at 607-08) appears on the official registration FAQ page itself [S4].

Key Takeaways

• Every New Jersey attorney must complete the online annual registration at the beginning of the calendar year, through which the annual assessment is paid and contact information is kept current with the courts [S1].
• The annual fee is based on the calendar year of admission; as displayed on the official page on 2026-08-20, the 2026 schedule is $267 timely / $307 late for attorneys admitted 1978–2022, $238 / $278 for 2023–2024 admissions, and $35 / $75 for 2025 admissions, with automatic exemptions for 1977-or-earlier and current-year admissions [S1].
• New Jersey requires 24 CLE credits every two years, including 5 ethics/professionalism credits, at least 2 of which must be in diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias, with at least half of the credits earned live [S5].
• Newly admitted attorneys with a plenary license must earn 16 of the 24 credits in at least 6 of 12 New Jersey subject areas during their first full compliance period, with at least 1 credit in New Jersey attorney trust and business accounting fundamentals [S3][S5].
• Failing to complete or report CLE by the deadline triggers a $50 noncompliance fee, an additional $50 (for a total of $100) after the grace period, and — if still noncompliant — administrative ineligibility to practice New Jersey law under BCLE Regulation 402:3 [S1][S2].
• Nonpayment of the annual registration fee results in late fees and placement on an Ineligible List, with set reinstatement fees to return [S1].

Sources

• [S1] New Jersey Courts, "Annual Attorney Registration and Payment," https://www.njcourts.gov/attorneys/attorney-registration (verified 2026-08-20).
• [S2] New Jersey Courts, "Supreme Court Board on Continuing Legal Education," https://www.njcourts.gov/attorneys/cle (verified 2026-08-20).
• [S3] New Jersey Courts, "New Attorneys," https://www.njcourts.gov/attorneys/cle/new-attorneys (verified 2026-08-20).
• [S4] New Jersey Courts, "Frequently Asked Questions - Annual Attorney Registration and Payment," https://www.njcourts.gov/attorneys/attorney-registration/faqs (verified 2026-08-20).
• [S5] New Jersey Courts, "Continuing Legal Education - FAQ," https://www.njcourts.gov/attorneys/cle/faq (verified 2026-08-20).
• [S6] Google Scholar, "Madden v. Delran - Google Scholar search results," https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Madden+v.+Delran%22 (verified 2026-08-20).
• [S7] CourtListener (Free Law Project), "Madden v. Township of Delran," 126 N.J. 591, 601 A.2d 211 (1992), https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/2188568/madden-v-township-of-delran/ (verified 2026-08-20).

Not Legal Advice