Call 303.997.2218
CLE Requirements by State · NJ

New Jersey CLE Requirements for attorneys

24 credit hours every 2 years, reported every 2 years. Verified against the NJ bar or court authority.

New Jersey at a glance

Total CLE required24 credit hours every 2 years
Ethics requirement5 hrs (ethics / professionalism)
Reporting cycleEvery 2 years
Bias / EDI credit2 of the 5 ethics hrs must be diversity, inclusion & elimination of bias
Online CLE acceptedYes, up to 12 hrs alternative format
Accreditation routeApproved (Board on CLE)

Note: Diversity/inclusion is a mandated portion of the ethics requirement.

Verify current NJ requirements at the source ↗

How New Jersey compares

Annualised, that is 12 hours per year, exactly at the national median of 12 hours per year.

New Jersey mandates specialised credit in bias, equity, or inclusion. 2 of the 5 ethics hrs must be diversity, inclusion & elimination of bias New Jersey does not currently carry a separate wellness or mental health category, so wellness training here is generally applied as general credit. Trauma-responsive content frequently satisfies bias and inclusion requirements as well, because understanding how trauma shapes client behaviour, testimony, and courtroom conduct is directly relevant to serving diverse populations. Confirm the fit with the accrediting body before enrolling.

Why wellness credit is worth the hours in New Jersey

New Jersey requires 24 hours every 2 years, of which 5 are earmarked for ethics. That leaves roughly 19 hours every 2 years that you choose the content for. Those are the hours in question.

The evidence: it is a retention problem with a price tag

Replacing a single associate is estimated at between $200,000 and $500,000, and industry analysis puts the fully loaded cost of losing a third-year associate above $1 million once foregone billings are counted. Associate attrition reached 20 percent in the most recent national data, with departures now clustering nearer the four-year mark than the historical five.

Where it concentrates in New Jersey

Exposure is not evenly distributed across a bar. It follows the material. Prosecutors review evidence that most professions never encounter, often without the debriefing structures that police and clinical staff receive as a matter of course. Firms and offices in New Jersey doing prosecution carry more of this than a general commercial practice does, and their training needs differ accordingly.

These are competence issues, not comfort issues. They surface as missed deadlines, degraded judgment on live matters, ethics complaints, and the departure of lawyers a firm has already paid to train. If New Jersey is going to require the time anyway, it can be spent on the thing that is measurably breaking.

See what burnout actually costs a legal organization →

New Jersey CLE questions

How many CLE hours does New Jersey require?

New Jersey requires 24 credit hours every 2 years. Of that, the ethics requirement is 5 hrs (ethics / professionalism). The reporting cycle runs every 2 years.

Does New Jersey accept online CLE?

Yes, up to 12 hrs alternative format. Rules on self-study versus live or interactive formats vary, and newly admitted attorneys are often held to stricter requirements than experienced ones. Confirm with the accrediting authority before enrolling.

Can wellness or secondary trauma CLE count in New Jersey?

New Jersey does not maintain a separate wellness or mental health credit category. Such programming is generally applied toward general credit. Many states permit self-application of general credit using a certificate of attendance; confirm the process with the accrediting authority.

Who accredits CLE in New Jersey?

Approved (Board on CLE). Requirements change, so verify directly with the issuing authority before relying on any summary, including this one.

Other jurisdictions

New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · New Hampshire · Nevada · Nebraska

Search and filter all 51 jurisdictions →

New Jersey requires the hours. We teach what matters.

Accredited, live CLE in secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and professional resilience, delivered by 41 lawyers, judges, physicians, and psychologists. In person and virtual, nationwide.

Schedule a Consultation See CLE Programs