Frequently Asked Questions - Annual Attorney Registration and Payment

In order to engage in private practice in New Jersey, you must

1. pay the annual assessment;
2. complete the attorney annual registration statement and keep the data current throughout the year;
3. fulfill the requirements of R. 1:21-6, including trust and business accounts in an approved New Jersey financial institution;
4. keep trust accounts IOLTA-compliant (R.1:28A) ; and
5. maintain required levels of malpractice insurance under Court Rules if practicing in a P.A., P.C., L.L.P., or L.L.C.

Rule 1:27-2.  Please visit the Board of Bar Examiners' website at www.njbarexams.org or call them at 609-815-2911.  

Most mandatory pro bono cases fall within three categories: violation of domestic violence restraining orders; municipal appeals; and parole revocation hearings.

No. Exemptions from payment are narrowly defined; all conditions must be met. Lawyers who cannot claim the retired exemption from payment include, but are not limited to, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, and other government lawyers.

You are receiving this message because either your User ID or Password is invalid.

• If you are logging in for the first time, please check to make sure your User ID is your Attorney ID and you are using the temporary password provided on your billing card.
• If you have already logged in and completed your registration, please make sure you are using your new password to login.
• If you completed the registration process but did not click the activation link within the activation email, please click the link and then try logging in again.
• If you completed the registration process but did not receive an activation email and click the activation link to complete your registration, please follow these instructions in "Why am I not receiving my activation email to complete the attorney registration process?"

Note: Please make sure you did not save the temporary password in the password field. Internet Explorer may have prompted you to save the password the first time you logged in. Make sure you clear out any saved password and re-type your new password.

Answer the question on the attorney registration portion "No." This will remove your practice information from active records.

Yes. Practicing in a Federal court in New Jersey does not count as practicing in New Jersey, since Federal courts are a separate jurisdiction.

No. You cannot claim an exemption from payment solely by virtue of being out of state.

Follow these instructions for requesting reinstatement and submitting a petition to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court addressed this issue in Madden v. Delran, 126 N.J. at 607-08. It recognized that frequently attorneys who have no experience in the substantive area of the law involved in the pro bono case will be called upon. As the Court said: "Real estate attorneys, corporate counsel, experts in commercial leases, all have been assigned to represent indigent defendants charged with simple assault, driving while intoxicated; all were required not only to learn how to defend those cases but to find out where the courthouse is." 126 N.J. at 607. If, however, the trial judge is convinced that the assigned counsel will provide ineffective assistance of counsel, the judge should direct the assigned counsel to obtain a substitute. 126 N.J. at 608.

No. Exemptions from payment are unrelated to exemptions from pro bono counsel assignment.

Click the "Reset Password" link on the login screen and follow the instructions on that page.

Within 30 days, return to the Online Registration and Payment Center and update any changes.

No. The Supreme Court has determined that attorneys who work on a per diem basis are eligible to receive pro bono assignments. However, the Court has further determined that an assignment should only be made during a time that these attorneys are actively practicing law in New Jersey.

Yes. All attorneys are required to file an annual registration, even those who have been granted an exemption from payment. This keeps the Court informed about your current status and provides attorneys an opportunity to

1. make changes and/or remit payment if they no longer qualify for the exemption,
2. respond to other portions of the registration, and
3. update their mailing or email addresses.

Please access the Online Registration and Payment Center to respond.

You have an ongoing duty to immediately inform the Fund if you no longer qualify for the exemption previously granted (such as no longer in military or if you come out of retired status), and to keep your address current with the Fund. You can access the Online Registration and Payment Center to activate your license or to update your mailing or email address.

No, you are exempt from mandatory pro bono. You should request exemption code 86 on the annual pro bono questionnaire that is part of the online annual attorney registration.

No. Military exemption is expressly limited to "full-time active duty with the Armed Forces, AmeriCorps, or Peace Corps."

Click the "Request User ID" link on the login screen and follow the instructions on that page.

In Madden v. Delran, 126 N.J. 591 (1992), the Supreme Court reaffirmed the bar's duty to represent indigent defendants without pay where the Legislature has made no provision for the Public Defender to represent defendants who are entitled to counsel. The Court recognized that it was placing a burden on the bar that should be more generally shared by the public at large. The Court said: "We realize it is the bar that is bearing the burden . . . . We trust the bar understands the strong policy considerations that have persuaded us. As has so often been the case, it is the bar that makes the system work, often without compensation." 126 N.J. at 614.

No. The Supreme Court has determined that attorneys who practice law through temporary employment agencies are eligible to receive pro bono assignments. However, the Court has further determined that an assignment should only be made during a time that these attorneys are actively practicing law in New Jersey.

Go to our Online Registration and Payment Center to update your registration information and pay the current year's fee.

No, while you are not practicing law you are exempt from mandatory pro bono. You should request exemption code 86 on the annual pro bono questionnaire that is part of the online annual attorney registration. When you obtain new legal employment, you are required to update your online attorney registration.

Your name will be entered on a Supreme Court Order declaring you ineligible to practice law in New Jersey. Although this is not a disciplinary action akin to suspension or disbarment, ineligible attorneys are considered not in good standing in New Jersey and may neither practice nor be admitted pro hac vice. By Court Rules 1:28-2 and 1:20-1(d), you would be required to pay a $50 fee to be removed from one year's ineligible list or a $100 fee for removal from two or more years' ineligible lists, in addition to the regular and late fees required for each year.

Check to make sure that your activation email is not getting categorized as "Spam" or "Junk Mail" by your email client. It is advised that you add NJCourts.Mailbox@njcourts.gov  to your allowed senders list within your email client. The activation email can be requested again by clicking the "Request Activation Email" on the login screen.

Pro bono cases are assigned from a computer list each county maintains of all the attorneys eligible for pro bono assignment in that county. Cases are assigned strictly in order of the list. At the top of the list are attorneys who have had no pro bono assignments, in alphabetical order.

No. Under exemption code 88, an attorney may claim an exemption if he or she can certify that he or she has performed at least twenty-five (25) hours of pro bono services for domestic violence service providers. However, the volunteer work must be done in New Jersey in order to claim the exemption.

In accordance with Rule 1:28-2, you must keep your mailing address current with the NJ Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection during the year. Please note that your mailing address is not confidential. Go to the Online Registration and Payment Center to update your address.

No, you are exempt from mandatory pro bono. You should request exemption code 90 on the annual pro bono questionnaire that is part of the online annual attorney registration.

Attorneys who change their names after admission to practice must file a name change affidavit with the Supreme Court through its Board of Bar Examiners.

If you cannot find an answer, please contact [email] and we will be happy to assist you.

Attorneys are not required to do a certain number of hours per year. Rather, attorneys are required to complete an assigned pro bono case, no matter how many hours that may require. Further, there is no requirement that an attorney complete a certain number of pro bono cases a year. Attorneys are called upon whenever their name reaches the top of the list. For example, depending on the county, an attorney may be required to complete two cases a year or one case every two years.

The Attorney Online Billing System currently supports the latest versions of Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome.

There is no "inactive status" in New Jersey. Please review the exemptions from payment. If you do not meet the standards to claim a payment exemption, and do not pay the required fees, you will be declared ineligible and not in good standing in New Jersey.

Alternatively, you may formally resign from the New Jersey Bar as noted in the answer to "How do I resign without prejudice from the New Jersey Bar?" on this page.

Yes. The Supreme Court has determined that attorneys who are in-house counsel with offices in New Jersey and who are in good standing are eligible to receive pro bono assignments, because their work constitutes practicing law.

First, please review Court Rule I :20-22. In particular, note that you cannot resign if any disciplinary or criminal proceedings are pending in any jurisdiction to which you are admitted or if you are not in good standing. If you qualify, and if you comply with the notice requirements set forth in the form, you may complete the Resignation Without Prejudice form and mail it to:

Resignation Without Prejudice Unit

If your resignation is accepted by the Supreme Court, it will terminate your membership in the bar. To be readmitted, you will have to retake the New Jersey Bar Examination, unless you meet the requirements of R.1:24-4 to be admitted by motion.

Attorney Registration Instructions

Payment Instructions

No, certain attorneys, such as most full-time government attorneys, are exempt from mandatory pro bono service. Each year, the director of the Administrative Office of the Courts issues a list of all the categories of attorneys who are exempt. To be exempt, the attorney must request the exemption on the annual pro bono questionnaire which is part of the online annual attorney registration. If an attorney fails to request an exemption on the pro bono questionnaire, he or she will be assigned a case when his or her name rises to the top of the list.

Javascript must be enabled in order to maintain your login session and for you to use the site. Follow the instructions specific to your browser to enable Javascript at https://enable-javascript.com.

You should answer "No." If you should practice at all in New Jersey during the year, you have an obligation to return to the website and answer this question "Yes" and then complete the questions about your practice and attorney accounts that will follow regarding your practice and bank accounts.

Yes. The Supreme Court has determined that any attorney who maintains a bona fide law office in New Jersey, regardless of the amount of activity out of that office, is eligible to receive assignments.