Yes — New Jersey allows carryover of CLE credits, up to 12 credits, from one compliance period to the next.
This is set forth in the New Jersey Courts’ CLE FAQ and BCLE Regulation 201:3.
No — judges in New Jersey do not have a separate CLE regime; they must satisfy the same CLE requirements as all active attorneys.
New Jersey’s CLE rules (BCLE) apply to “attorneys, judges, in-house counsel” without imposing additional judicial-only obligations.
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Yes — New Jersey permits late CLE reporting under a “grace period” framework, but you’ll incur a $150 late compliance fee and you must meet the obligation during that grace time to avoid administrative ineligibility.
The Board on Continuing Legal Education’s regulations allow a single grace period after the compliance deadline, during which credits earned count toward the prior period and the late fee is assessed.
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Yes — New Jersey’s CLE regime allows a few defined exemptions, such as for attorneys with 50+ years of licensure, those aged 75+, active military, VISTA/Peace Corps, and attorneys fully retired from practice.
Under the Supreme Court’s CLE rule (Rule 1:42 / BCLE Reg. 202:1), those categories are carved out from the 24-credit biennial requirement.
In New Jersey, attorneys must complete all required CLE credits by December 31 of their two-year compliance period and then certify compliance when filing their Annual Attorney Registration and Billing Statement in the following year. The certification occurs after the compliance period ends, as part of the annual registration process.
In New Jersey, attorneys complete CLE by December 31 of their two-year compliance period and report compliance through their Annual Attorney Registration in the following year — not on December 31 itself.
In New Jersey, CLE credit counts when the activity is accredited by the Board on Continuing Legal Education (or recognized via reciprocity), including live programs, distance/alternative learning, teaching, moot activities, course prep, and publication (within limits).
Attorneys must complete 24 credit hours every two years, of which 5 must be ethics (with at least 2 in diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias).
Yes — New Jersey requires that a portion of CLE credits be earned through “live” programs, which now include in-person instruction or live webcasts under its live-instruction rules. A recent court order reinstated the live CLE requirement, effective May 1, 2024.
Key Takeaway: In New Jersey, attorneys must complete at least half of their CLE credits (12 of 24) via live instruction, which may be satisfied through in-person programs or interactive live webcasts under the state’s live-instruction rule.
You report CLE credits in New Jersey by self-certifying compliance on your Annual Attorney Registration & Billing (after your compliance deadline), rather than by submitting all course attendance details.
New Jersey’s CLE system is self-reporting: you keep certificates for audit, but your registration filing is your compliance report.
Attorneys must complete 24 CLE credits every two years, including 5 credits in ethics/professionalism, of which at least 2 must address diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias.
At least 12 of the credits must be from live or interactive programming; up to 12 may be alternative verifiable learning formats.
Attorneys are placed into one of two compliance groups based on their birth month (Group 1 or Group 2), which determines the year they must complete CLE and when they report compliance.
Upon registering and paying bar dues in the year following your compliance deadline, you must certify whether you met CLE (or pay noncompliance fees).
If selected for audit, you will need to produce certificates and attendance logs covering your CLE activity for that compliance period.
In New Jersey, you can’t formally “report” CLE credits immediately as you earn them in the sense of filing a compliance affidavit or certificate. The system is self-reporting, and the formal reporting (certifying compliance) occurs mostly through the annual attorney registration process after your compliance period ends.
That said, you may submit an application for credit for courses (especially non-approved or out-of-state courses) within 30 days after completing the course. BCLE Reg. 301 and the CLE FAQ allow attorneys to file an individual application for CLE credit no later than 30 days post-course.
Yes — in New Jersey you submit CLE compliance through the online “Annual Attorney Registration and Billing” system, where you certify your CLE status.
Attorneys do not report each course via a separate CLE portal; instead, they attest to compliance when renewing or registering.
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