Notice - District XI (Passaic County) Fee Arbitration Committee - Secretary Vacancy

The Office of Attorney Ethics (OAE) is seeking attorney applicants for the volunteer position of District Fee Arbitration Committee (DFAC) secretary for DFAC XI, which covers Passaic County. The OAE Director, after consultation with the DFAC chair, appoints the secretary, pursuant to R. 1:20A-1(c), to perform the functions specified in R. 1:20A-1 to -6. The secretary must be an attorney with an office in the District and is not a member of the committee.

The District Secretary is a volunteer position that performs critical tasks attendant to the operation of the local DFAC and the attorney disciplinary system as a whole. The selected District Secretary is paid an emolument set by the Supreme Court to reimburse for costs and expenses. The secretary’s duties include:

• keeping full and complete records of all DFAC proceedings;
• maintaining files (including in electronic format in the OAE database) of all fee disputes received, with such records scanned and uploaded in the OAE database on a timely basis;
• ensuring careful adherence to the Court Rules for the processing of all requests for fee arbitration;
• working with the DFAC chair and vice-chair to administer the DFAC, including by assisting in overseeing the timely completion of all hearings on the DFAC’s docket of pending cases; and
• responding to inquiries from the OAE, the public, attorneys, courts, DFAC officers and members, and/or interested parties about the fee arbitration process.
• The District Secretary will receive an annual award of four (4) continuing legal education credits which satisfy the professionalism/ethics requirements and an annual pro bono service “Madden” exemption.

The Judiciary is committed to maintaining an inclusive volunteer corps that reflects the diversity of the population it serves. 

Any candidate who seeks to apply for the position should submit a letter of interest and a resume, to be received by December 20, 2024, by email to oae.mbx@njcourts.gov , or by mail to the following address:

Director, Office of Attorney Ethics

Questions concerning this Notice to the Bar may also be directed to the e-mail address above or to  609-403-7800 , ext. 34162.

Johanna Barba Jones
Director, Office of Attorney Ethics