205:7 Continuing Legal Education Obligations of Certified Attorneys.
(a) General Requirements. [Except as set forth in paragraph (b) below,] C[c]ertified
attorneys shall satisfy their continuing legal education obligation required under
this Regulation by completing a minimum of [fifty] sixty [hours]credits of CLE
programs that are directly related to the designated area of practice covered by the
attorney's certification and that have been approved for accreditation by the Board
on Continuing Legal Education for CLE credits. [An "hour" of continuing legal
education shall include only time spent in instruction; meals and recess periods
are specifically excluded.] Attorneys who are certified in more than one area of
practice must fulfill a minimum of [75] 90 [hours] credits of continuing legal
education in their area of specialty certification. Those courses taken in
ethics/professional responsibility and professionalism in fulfillment of the
mandatory continuing legal education requirement can be included in the sixty
credits required under this Regulation.
[Among the types of educational involvement the Board, in its discretion, will
consider are:
(1) Programs directly related to improvement of litigation skills in the
designated area of practice;
(2) Substantive courses in the area of law in which the certified attorney
conducts litigation as part of his or her practice;
(3) Teaching or lecturing in programs of study for attorneys in the designated
area of practice;
(4) Participating as a panelist in or speaker at seminars, symposia, or lecture
programs on aspects of the designated area of practice;
(5) Authorship and publication in the designated area of practice;
App. A-19
(6) Active participation in American Bar Association, New Jersey Bar
Association, specialized Bar functions, and Supreme Court Committees
dealing with specific substantive or procedural law issues in the
designated area of practice;
(7) Active participation in the work of a professional committee dealing with
a specific problem of substantive or procedural law in the designated area
of practice;
(8) Inns of Court programs;
(9) "In-house" courses taught by a certified attorney;
(10) At-home or in-office viewing of video tapes and the analogous use of
audio tapes of pre-approved continuing legal education programs, but only
up to 50% of the continuing legal education requirement. If the video- or
audio-taped course was not approved for continuing legal education credit
when it was presented live, the Board may, in its discretion, decline to
give the applicant credit for the course; and
(11) Such other educational involvement as the Board may, in its discretion,
deem appropriate.
An applicant's involvement in activities covered by paragraphs (6) and (7), above,
cannot cumulatively account for more than 33% of the applicant's total CLE
requirements for recertification.
Certified attorneys may satisfy their educational obligations by attending a
combination of courses in the certified area of practice. At least thirty-five of the
fifty required continuing legal education credit hours must be in courses that
relate to the attorney's certified area of practice. The balance of the credit hours
may be in the area of general trial or litigation skills or in cross-over courses.
Cross-over courses are those courses taken in other areas of practice covered by
the certification program, such as, for example, criminal courses taken by civil
trial attorneys or civil courses taken by criminal trial attorneys.]
(b) The Board shall evaluate attorney involvement on a case-by-case basis. The
Board will review and may approve, on a case by case basis, educational
activities that have not been accredited under the mandatory continuing legal
education program that relate to the applicant’s practice an specialty. The Board
reserves the right to require an applicant to submit additional information on any
program, including but not limited to, copies of the written materials and a list of
the instructors, to determine its applicability to the area of specialty certification
sought. Failure to comply with this Regulation is grounds for revocation of the
attorney's certification or for a refusal to recertify that attorney.
App. A-20
[(b)](c) Matrimonial Law Requirements. The certified matrimonial law attorney must
demonstrate that he or she has completed no fewer than 75 hours of continuing
legal education programs, which must include satisfying the following:
(1) Not less than thirty (30) of the required [hours] credits must be satisfied by
completion of approved educational programs in the areas of dissolution
of marriage, child support, spousal support, or modification of support,
contempt or enforcement, equitable distribution or property division, or
taxation issues incident to dissolution of marriage or matters addressed by
the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act.
(2) Not less than twelve (12) of the required [hours] credits must be satisfied
by completion of approved educational programs in the area of custody of
children.
(3) Not less than six (6) of the required [hours] credits must be satisfied by
completion of approved educational programs in the area of evidence.
(4) Not less than six (6) of the required [hours] credits must be satisfied by
completion of approved educational programs in the area of mediation,
complimentary dispute resolution, psychological and counseling aspects of
dissolution of marriage.
[(5) Not less than six (6) of the required hours must be satisfied by completion
of approved educational programs in the area of professional
responsibility.
(6) As with initial certification, for each approved continuing legal education
course taught the applicant is entitled to receive an additional one hour for
preparation time for each hour of the course.]
(5) Those courses taken in ethics/professional responsibility and
professionalism in fulfillment of the mandatory continuing legal education
requirement can be included in the 75 credits required under this
Regulation.
