The New Attorney Welcome Guide
Your Career. Your Community. Your Next Step.
Find your CLE essentials, build your professional network, and take your next step with the New Jersey State Bar Association.
Admitted to the bar in the past 12 months? Join the NJSBA and get your first year of membership free.
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A Strong Start. A Year on Us.
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Admitted to the Bar in the Past 12 Months?
Get your first year of NJSBA membership free and free membership in sections that match your interests. Connect with colleagues, save on CLE and publications, and receive member communications.
01 Your CLE & Trust Accounting Obligations
Your CLE Reporting Group
Your CLE obligation begins January 1 after admission. Your birth month and admission year determine whether you begin with a one-year, 12-credit transition or go directly into your first full two-year period.
During your first full two-year period, attorneys with a plenary license must earn 24 total credits. Within that total, 16 credits must cover at least 6 of the 12 New Jersey new-attorney subject areas, including at least 1 credit in attorney trust and business accounting fundamentals.
After you complete that first full period, you continue on your group’s regular two-year CLE cycle. The special 16-credit new-attorney requirement does not repeat; the ongoing credit and subject requirements still apply.
Your Trust Account Responsibilities
Check which trust-account and IOLTA requirements apply to your practice, and confirm your registration with your firm or the IOLTA Fund.
Your CLE Path
January 1 of the following year. A 12-credit, one-year transition may apply.
24 credits over two years, including 16 new-attorney credits for plenary-license attorneys.
24 credits each cycle, with the required ethics, diversity, and applicable technology credits.
Plan Your Credits and Responsibilities
The charts and resources below explain your reporting deadlines, credit requirements, and trust-account responsibilities. Select a heading to open or close it.
Find Your CLE Reporting Group and Deadlines
Your birth month determines your group; your admission year determines your first compliance period. Find your admission year below, complete credits by the deadline shown, and report compliance during attorney registration the following year.
| Group 1 · January–June Birthdays Complete Credits in Odd-Numbered Years |
Group 2 · July–December Birthdays Complete Credits in Even-Numbered Years |
|---|---|
| Admitted in 2026 · Requirements Begin Jan. 1, 2027 | |
| First Compliance Period12 Credits by Dec. 31, 2027 12-credit transition Next Two-Year Cycle24 Credits by Dec. 31, 2029 Includes 16 new-attorney credits |
First Compliance Period24 Credits by Dec. 31, 2028 Includes 16 new-attorney credits Next Two-Year Cycle24 Credits by Dec. 31, 2030 Regular two-year cycle |
| Admitted in 2025 · Requirements Begin Jan. 1, 2026 | |
| First Compliance Period24 Credits by Dec. 31, 2027 Includes 16 new-attorney credits Next Two-Year Cycle24 Credits by Dec. 31, 2029 Regular two-year cycle |
First Compliance Period12 Credits by Dec. 31, 2026 12-credit transition Next Two-Year Cycle24 Credits by Dec. 31, 2028 Includes 16 new-attorney credits |
| Admitted in 2024 · Requirements Begin Jan. 1, 2025 | |
| First Compliance Period12 Credits by Dec. 31, 2025 12-credit transition Next Two-Year Cycle24 Credits by Dec. 31, 2027 Includes 16 new-attorney credits |
First Compliance Period24 Credits by Dec. 31, 2026 Includes 16 new-attorney credits Next Two-Year Cycle24 Credits by Dec. 31, 2028 Regular two-year cycle |
| Admitted in 2023 · Requirements Begin Jan. 1, 2024 | |
| First Compliance Period24 Credits by Dec. 31, 2025 Includes 16 new-attorney credits Next Two-Year Cycle24 Credits by Dec. 31, 2027 Regular two-year cycle |
First Compliance Period12 Credits by Dec. 31, 2024 12-credit transition Next Two-Year Cycle24 Credits by Dec. 31, 2026 Includes 16 new-attorney credits |
Requirements begin January 1 after admission. 2026 Admission-Year Chart (PDF) · Full Admission-Year Charts
View the Total Credit Breakdown and Definitions
Full Two-Year Period: 24 Total Credits
The categories below fit within the 24-credit total; they are not additional credits.
- Ethics and Professionalism: 5 credits minimum. Includes at least 2 credits in diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias.
- New-Attorney Coursework: 16 credits. During your first full two-year period with a plenary license, cover at least 6 of the 12 New Jersey subject areas. At least 1 of the 16 credits must be in New Jersey attorney trust and business accounting fundamentals.
- Technology: 1 credit minimum. Applies to cycles ending December 31, 2027 and later. This credit is included in the 24-credit total.
One-Year Transition: 12 Total Credits
If your chart entry shows a transitional period, complete at least 2.5 ethics/professionalism credits, including 1 in diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias. Complete the 16 new-attorney credits during the following full two-year period.
Limited-license attorneys are not required to complete the 16-credit new-attorney coursework. Review the Judiciary’s admission-year guidance for your circumstances.
Newly Admitted Attorney Requirements
Review Your MCLE Requirements
Explore the 12 New Jersey Subject Areas
Complete the 16 new-attorney credits in at least six of these New Jersey subject areas, including at least one credit in attorney trust and business accounting fundamentals:
- Basic Estate Administration
- Basic Estate Planning
- Civil or Criminal Trial Preparation
- Family Law Practice
- Real Estate Closing Procedures
- Attorney Trust and Business Accounting Fundamentals
- Landlord/Tenant Practice
- Municipal Court Practice
- Law Office Management
- Administrative Law
- Workers’ Compensation Law
- Labor and Employment Law
Understand Your Trust Account and IOLTA Responsibilities
Understand Your Trust Accounting Responsibilities
Trust-account compliance is a practice obligation as well as a CLE subject. Use the IOLTA Fund’s guidance to determine which requirements and exemptions apply to you.
Joining a firm? Check with the firm administrator that you are included in its IOLTA registration, even if you do not sign trust-account checks.
Starting your own practice? Follow the IOLTA Fund’s steps for establishing and registering the appropriate trust account.
Review the IOLTA Compliance Guide
Office of Attorney Ethics Guidance (PDF)
Browse New Attorney On-Demand Programs →
Check each program’s specific new-attorney credit before registering. Ask NJICLE About Qualifying Credit.
02 Find Your Community
Build relationships beyond your day-to-day work. Meet colleagues, exchange ideas, and get involved in the profession.
Start With the Young Lawyers Division
Meet other early-career attorneys through social events, networking, and public service. The YLD welcomes bar members who are 35 or younger, or have practiced for less than 10 years.
Find Your People
Join a Section — connect around your practice interests.
Browse Meetings and Events — meet colleagues and get involved.
Explore CommunityNET — exchange ideas and connect with mentors.
03 How the NJSBA Can Help
Tools to Help You Get Ahead
Free Legal Research With Decisis
NJSBA members get free access to a New Jersey law library and selected federal cases. Member login required.
Free Webinars
Explore upcoming member programs for practical learning and professional development.
Career Center
Explore job opportunities and take your next career step.
Support When You Need It
Member Assistance Program — free, confidential support for NJSBA members and their households. Available 24/7: 800-531-0200.
New Jersey Lawyers Assistance Program (NJLAP) — free, confidential support for New Jersey lawyers, judges, law students, and law graduates. 800-246-5527.
Find opportunities to share your expertise, connect with mentors, and learn from lawyers who have been where you are now.
Take Your Next Step
Become a CLE Speaker — share your knowledge and ideas.
Find Volunteer Opportunities — build connections through service.
Read Practical Career Advice — learn from fellow attorneys.
04 More Resources
Open a topic when you need it. Find practice tools, member benefits, and support in one place.
Practice Responsibilities and Court Tools
Pro Bono Requirements
New Jersey attorneys may get assigned a pro bono case unless they certify they have performed at least 25 hours of voluntary qualifying pro bono service.
New Jersey Pro Bono Requirements →
Legal Forms
The New Jersey Judiciary has an extensive collection of forms for everything from handling matters in the Appellate Division, Tax Court, Family Court, Civil Division, foreclosure matters, and more. Check out the library.
Getting to Court
- Get information and addresses for all of the state’s courthouses.
- Get directions to all of the state’s federal courthouses.
eCourts
- The New Jersey courts have launched eCourts for several types of cases, including civil, criminal and tax court. Find out more here.
- The federal district courts use PACER for e-filing and public access to records. Learn more about it.
CommunityNET
All NJSBA section and committee members can access the private online communities to ask colleagues questions, learn about job opportunities and connect with mentors and friends. Learn more about it.
Volunteer Opportunities
The New Jersey State Bar Association, New Jersey State Bar Foundation and New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education offer opportunities for attorneys to volunteer in a variety of ways, including mock trial programs with students, speaking engagements in the community and more.
- The NJSBA will train you to be a community leader ready to give presentations to local groups about the importance of the legal system and civics in our democracy. Find out more.
- The NJSBA and NJICLE are seeking dynamic speakers and fresh program ideas that explore emerging issues and trends shaping the practice of law in New Jersey. Share your expertise, by submitting a program idea or volunteering to serve as a speaker.
- The New Jersey State Bar Foundation has a speakers bureau that connects lawyers with local groups seeking expert speakers. It also invites attorneys to help coach and judge during the annual Vincent J. Apruzzese High School Mock Trial Competition. Find out more.
If you want to volunteer, let us know here: [email protected].
Helpful Reads for Your First Years
- Be an Advocate, Not a Jerk, and Be Thoughtful Enough to Know the Difference
- Allow Me to Introduce Myself
- Young Lawyers – Make the NJSBA Your Professional Home
- A Call to Action – Improving Legal Writing Using the Active Voice
- Young Lawyers and Modern Sensibilities
- The New Jersey State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division – a Tribute
- Who Is in Your DMs…Asking for Legal Advice
More Membership Benefits
Admitted earlier? Discounted membership rates are also available for attorneys admitted between 2021–2025.
Free Meeting Space
The New Jersey Law Center has plenty of space where you can work remotely. Our visitors’ lounge has plenty of seating and free coffee. And NJSBA members can reserve rooms for free for depositions or meetings. Call the Meetings Department to find out more at 732-249-5000.
Member Solutions Directory
The NJSBA Member Solutions Directory, works to obtain discounts and other benefits in connection with a variety of products and services for its members. In some instances, the NJSBA may receive royalties on products and services purchased by members; however, the NJSBA makes no representations about any of the products or services offered. Members should fully evaluate each product or service to determine its suitability for the member’s own unique needs and circumstances.