New Jersey CLE Requirements

Required New Jersey CLE Credits

24.00 Total Credit Hours

every

2 Years

5.00 Ethics/Professionalism

At least 2.00 credits must be in Diversity, Inclusion, and Elimination of Bias

A minimum of 12.00 credit hours must be taken as live programs.

New Jersey CLE Reporting Deadlines

Deadline to complete CLEs: December 31

Reporting deadline: December 31

Reporting period: 2 Years

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New Jersey

General New Jersey Continuing Legal Education Credit Requirements

How many CLE credits do you need in New Jersey?

In New Jersey, active status attorneys must complete 24.00 CLE credits every 2 years to maintain good standing with the New Jersey State Bar.

When is the New Jersey CLE reporting deadline?

New Jersey attorneys must complete all 24.00 required credits by December 31 in their reporting year. Attorneys must certify compliance with NJ CLE requirements on their Annual Attorney Registration Statement.

How long is the New Jersey CLE reporting period, and when does it end?

The reporting period is 2 years and ends on December 31 in your reporting year. There are 2 reporting groups.

You are permanently assigned to a Compliance Reporting Group based on your birthday as follows:

  • Compliance Reporting Group 1: Birthday between January 1 and June 30
  • Compliance Reporting Group 2: Birthday between July 1 and December 31

Depending on your reporting group, you may have a 1-year transitional reporting period before your first regular 2-year reporting period.

  • Group 1 completes requirements in odd-numbered years (and reports in even-numbered years)
  • Group 2 completes requirements in even-numbered years (and reports in odd-numbered years)
How do I report my New Jersey CLE credits?

New Jersey attorneys are required to track their CLE credits and retain records for three years. Compliance with New Jersey CLE requirements must be certified online via the New Jersey Courts Annual Attorney Registration and Payment website.

How can Experienced New Jersey Attorneys fulfill the New Jersey CLE requirements in compliance with format of delivery regulations?

Experienced attorneys can fulfill their New Jersey CLE requirement by completing courses approved and accredited by the Board on Continuing Legal Education of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Examples of accepted course formats include:

Live

Alternative Format

  • Webinars
  • Webcasts
  • Online Internet Computer Presentations
  • Remote-Place Viewing
  • Audiotape
  • Videotape
How many New Jersey CLE credits can I carry over?

New Jersey attorneys may carry over 12.00 CLE credits for one compliance period.

How many New Jersey CLE credits can I earn with verifiable alternative learning format courses?

Attorneys who reside or work on a regular and continuous basis in New Jersey (or in another mandatory CLE jurisdiction for the entire compliance period) can earn a maximum of 12.00 CLE credits with alternative learning formats.

However, attorneys who reside in, work in, and are licensed in a MCLE jurisdiction that allows all CLE credits to be earned through alternative learning formats, they can satisfy all CLE requirements in New Jersey through reciprocity.

What are the specialty credit requirements in New Jersey?

New Jersey attorneys must complete 5.00 ethics/professionalism credits every 2 years. Of these, 2.00 credits must be in diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias.

Is in-program attendance verification required to receive New Jersey CLE credit?

Yes. In-program attendance verification is required.

What are the "Compliance Groups" for Experienced Attorneys in New Jersey?

You are permanently assigned to a Compliance Reporting Group based on your birthday as follows:

  • Compliance Reporting Group 1: Birthday between January 1st and June 30th.
  • Compliance Reporting Group 2: Birthday between July 1st and December 31st. 
Additional CLE resources for New Jersey attorneys

Are you newly admitted to the New Jersey State Bar? Here’s what you need to know:

What are the New Jersey CLE requirements for newly admitted attorneys?

Of the 24 required hours, newly admitted attorneys must complete 16.00 CLE credit hours in at least 6 of the following 12 subject areas. In addition, all newly admitted attorneys must take at least 1.00 credit in New Jersey attorney trust and business accounting fundamentals in their first 2-year compliance period.

Complete 16 credit hours of subject area training with our New Jersey New Attorney training program.

*Transitional newly admitted attorneys are not required to report CLE credit during the year they are first admitted to practice law in New Jersey.

How can New Jersey Newly Admitted Attorneys Fulfill Their CLE Requirements?

Newly admitted New Jersey attorneys must obtain 16 credit hours in at least 6 of the following 12 subject areas during their first two-year compliance period:

At least one of the required sixteen credits must be in New Jersey attorney trust and business accounting fundamentals.

Can I carry over credits I completed during my year of admission in New Jersey?

Yes. If you complete CLE credit after admission to the New Jersey State Bar and prior to December 31 of that year, you may carry over up to 12.00 credits to your first compliance period.

You may also carry over CLE credit for courses taken after graduation from law school but before admission to the New Jersey State Bar, as long as those credits were earned 12 months or less prior to your admission.

When does my first reporting period for New Jersey end?

Your first reporting period begins on January 1 of the year immediately following your admission to the New Jersey Bar and ends 24 months later.

You are permanently assigned to a Compliance Reporting Group based on your birthday as follows:

  • Compliance Reporting Group 1: Birthday between January 1 and June 30
  • Compliance Reporting Group 2: Birthday between July 1 and December 31

Depending on your reporting group, you may have a 1-year transitional reporting period before your first regular 2-year reporting period.

If you have a 1-year reporting period, you must complete half of all CLE credits required for a normal 2-year compliance period (12.00 total, which must include 2.50 ethics/professionalism, of which 1.00 credit must be in diversity, inclusion, & elimination of bias).

Are there any special credit requirements for new attorneys in New Jersey?

Yes. Of the 24 required hours, newly admitted attorneys must complete 16.00 CLE credit hours in at least 6 of the following 12 subject areas. In addition, all newly admitted attorneys must take at least 1.00 credit in New Jersey attorney trust and business accounting fundamentals in their first 2-year compliance period.

Complete 16 credit hours of subject area training with our New Jersey New Attorney training program.

*Transitional newly admitted attorneys are not required to report CLE credit during the year they are first admitted to practice law in New Jersey.

Can Newly Admitted Attorneys in New Jersey earn CLE credit for completed programs that satisfy the CLE requirements of another jurisdiction?

For newly admitted attorneys in New Jersey, at least 12.00 credit hours must be taken live; the balance may be in alternative verifiable learning (AVL) formats. (See BCLE Reg. 201:8).

An attorney who lives, works, and is licensed in a mandatory CLE jurisdiction that allows for 100% AVL formats may apply all AVL format courses toward compliance in New Jersey through reciprocity. AVL format courses include videotape, audiotape, on-line internet computer presentations, satellite simulcasts, teleconferencing, videoconferencing, internet computer self-study, or other type of remote verifiable learning format authorized by the Board.

If an attorney is living and working out of state and cannot obtain the live courses related to the new admission subject areas, they may apply for a waiver of the live requirement. A newly admitted lawyer may obtain credit for CLE courses taken after graduation from law school but before admission to the New Jersey bar toward their first compliance reporting period, as long as those courses were taken no more than 12 months prior to the lawyer’s date of admission to the New Jersey bar.

Attorneys may carry over no more than 12 extra credits into the next compliance period.

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