Notice – Board on Attorney Certification – Proposed Expansion of Certification Into Two New Areas: (1) Tax and (2) Residential Real Estate – Amendments to BAC Regulations – Request for Comments

The Supreme Court requests comments on proposed amendments to the Regulations governing the Board on Attorney Certification.  The attorney certification program helps connect litigants with attorneys who the New Jersey Supreme Court, through the Board on Attorney Certification, certifies as highly qualified specialists in their area of the law.  To attain certification, attorneys must satisfy enumerated requirements, demonstrate substantial experience and exemplary reputation, and pass a written examination covering various aspects of practice in the designated specialty area.  Currently, attorneys can be certified in one or more of the following five areas:

•    civil trial law
•    criminal trial law
•    matrimonial law
•    municipal court law
•    workers' compensation law

Through the proposed regulation amendments, the Board on Attorney Certification would expand the specialty areas for certification from five to seven by adding tax court law and residential real estate law as new areas of certification.  

In addition to expanding into these two new areas of certification, the proposed amendments also incorporate a variety of amendments to update the Board’s regulations, in most cases to conform to current practice.  Examples of such amendments include the removal of a reference to the bona fide office rule, which reflects an outdated requirement no longer applicable to attorneys (RG 202:3); the ability of applicants for civil trial certification to use one Special Civil Part matter as a contested action (trial) (RG 203:1); and specifying that an attorney whose certification lapsed or was terminated cannot list that past certification and its duration in advertising or on letterhead (RG 601:3).

Attached to this notice is the memorandum from the Board on Attorney Certification proposing the two additional certification categories and the other amendments to the regulations.  The Board’s memo includes the proposed amendments and a short description explaining each proposed change and the reason for it. 

Please send any comments on the proposed regulation amendments in writing by May 15, 2026 to:

Hon. Michael J. Blee, Acting Administrative Director
Administrative Office of the Courts
Attn: Proposed Amendments to Attorney Certification Regulations
Hughes Justice Complex, P.O. Box 037
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0037

Comments may also be e-mailed to Comments.Mailbox@njcourts.gov

The Supreme Court will not consider comments submitted anonymously. Thus, those submitting comments by mail should include their name and address and those submitting comments by e-mail should include their name and e-mail address. Comments are subject to public disclosure upon receipt.