The Supreme Court of New Jersey authorized the Board on Attorney Certification to administrate the state's program for certifying lawyers. The program sought to protect consumers from misleading advertising claims by creating an objective and reliable standard for specialization. In addition, the program requires attorneys to demonstrate a certain threshold of experience, education, skill, and knowledge in a particular field of the law. The attorney must pass a written examination and be recognized by other attorneys or judges for their skills and reputation in a certain practice area of the law.
In 1980, the Supreme Court of New Jersey authorized the Board on Attorney Certification to administrate the state's program for certifying lawyers. The Board on Attorney Certification is responsible for administering the program and making rules for certification. The program also sought to protect consumers from misleading advertising claims by creating an objective and reliable standard for specialization.
The Board of Attorney Certification is responsible for the operation of the certification program, including financial, policy, and rule-making functions. The Board also acts as an appellate arm when an aggrieved attorney appeals a decision made by a Certification Committee.
As of December 2016, approximately 1,650 hold board certification out of roughly 75,000 active lawyers in New Jersey.
The program was created to raise the level of competence of attorneys in certain practice areas while helping members of the public find an attorney in New Jersey.
The Supreme Court of New Jersey, through recommendation by the Board on Attorney Certification, currently certifies attorneys in four specialty areas of the law:
Attorneys who have earned the designation should use the phrase "Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a _____________ Attorney." The type of certification for either civil trial law, criminal trial law, matrimonial law, or workers' compensation law should be inserted in the blank space.
Lawyer Legion maintains a statewide directory of board certified lawyers in New Jersey. The public is able to browse the directory and narrow their search by specialty area, county or city to and connect with board certified lawyers to help with their case. Lawyer Legion is the only commercial lawyer directory to properly acknowledge all ABA-accredited specialization programs for both national and state-level board certifications, including those granted by the New Jersey Supreme Court.
Use this directory to find board certified lawyers who are specialized in their respective areas of law. Start by choosing your county from the list below.
At a minimum, the New Jersey program for specialty certification requires attorneys to meet the following criteria for eligibility, the attorney must:
The NJ Supreme Court designates attorneys as "certified attorneys" if the attorney does the following:
Rule 1:39 of the Regulations of the Board on Attorney Certification provides:
Specialty Certification Of Attorneys
An attorney of the State of New Jersey may be certified as a civil trial attorney, a criminal trial attorney, a matrimonial law attorney, a workers’ compensation law attorney, or a municipal court trial attorney, or in more than one designated area of practice, but only on establishing eligibility and satisfying requirements regarding education, experience, knowledge, and skill for each designated area of practice as set forth below.
To assist in the administration of the certification function, the Supreme Court shall establish, in accordance with these rules, a Board on Attorney Certification.
An attorney of the State of New Jersey may be certified as a civil trial attorney, a criminal trial attorney, a matrimonial law attorney, a workers’ compensation law attorney, or a municipal court trial attorney, or in more than one designated area of practice, but only on establishing eligibility and satisfying requirements regarding education, experience, knowledge, and skill for each designated area of practice as set forth below.
To assist in the administration of the certification function, the Supreme Court shall establish, in accordance with these rules, a Board on Attorney Certification.
The New Jersey Supreme Court has authorized trial certification in the area of municipal court practice. The new trial certification became available on September 1, 2011. Amendment to the rules and regulations that implement this change begin on page 9 of the Appendix. Read more at Notice of Certification for Municipal Court Trial Law.
Sources of Certification in New Jersey - Visit the website of the American Bar Association to find a current list of lawyer specialty certification programs and a summary description of the offerings of each program.
New Jersey Board on Attorney Certification - Visit the website of the New Jersey Courts for information on the Board on Attorney Certification. In 1980, the Supreme Court of New Jersey established the Board on Attorney Certification to administer the attorney certification program. The attorney certification program in New Jersey helps the public find an attorney who has a recognized level of competence in a particular field of law, protects consumers against false advertising and raises the level of competence of attorneys in New Jersey. Attorneys are may be designated by
The website for the New Jersey Courts maintains a list of certified attorneys for each practice area. The board certified attorneys are listed in alphabetical order. Only the attorney's name, the name of the firm and the attorney's phone number are listed. The board certified attorneys are also listed by county on the New Jersey Judiciary website.
The website allows members of the public to search for a certified specialist in New Jersey's largest cities including Newark, Woodbridge Township, Jersey City, Edison, Paterson, and Elizabeth, New Jersey.
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