New Jersey Legal Resources

According to the 2023 Annual Report of the Office of Attorney Ethics:

"The OAE investigates and prosecutes serious, complex, and emergent matters, statewide. Attorney disciplinary matters of standard complexity are investigated by a devoted volunteer corps of nearly 600 DEC members, both attorneys and members of the public who are appointed to conduct this same important work on a more local level"

This Research Guide covers the process for filing a Fee Dispute, an Ethics Grievance, finding a Discipline Case, and the role of the Disciplinary Review Board, including how to appeal an Ethics Decision.

New Jersey has a Fee Arbitration Program to help clients resolve conflicts with their attorney over fees.  The program is designed to help resolve the issue without going to court.  Fee arbitration disputes are heard by a committee made up of attorney and non-attorney volunteers.  There are 17 such committees throughout the state.  

If you feel your bill is too high, speak to your attorney first.  The attorney must inform you or your right to seek arbitration, and provide you with the phone number of the District Fee Secretary.

The Fee Arbitration Request form (see the courts website for the latest version of the form) must be filed within 30 days or you will loose the right to fee arbitration. The District Fee Secretary will review the request and decide whether to accept it. The Attorney will be provided a copy of the Fee Arbitration Request, and is required to provide a response.  If the District Fee Secretary accepts the request, a hearing will be scheduled.

The dispute can be settled without a hearing.  If it is not settled, a hearing is held.  The decision of the hearing may be appealed by the client or the Attorney.  Detailed information and instructions are available for appealing a decision.

The complete Rules relating to Fee Dispute Arbitration can be found in the New Jersey Court Rules/Rules of Professional Conduct.

The OAE files Quarterly Discipline Reports which are available online.  Complaint files are available to the public.  

• To make arrangements to view a complaint filed by a district ethics committee (Docket numbers starting with I through XIII), call the District Secretary.
• To make arrangements to view a complaint filed by the OAE (docket numbers starting with XIV), call 609-403-4800.

The Disciplinary Review Board maintains a database of all attorneys disciplined since 1988.  Discipline Cases from the last three months are also available.  

All attorneys practicing in New Jersey are bound by the New Jersey Court Rules and the Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC).  A violation of the RPC could be grounds for a grievance.

If you are unsure that you have a Grievance and want advice, you will likely need to contact another attorney.  The New Jersey State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service can provide you with low cost access to an attorney to help you decide how to proceed.

The Office of Attorney Ethics reviews ethics complaints of attorneys who have been accused of wrongdoing.  To file a grievance, you use the Attorney Grievance Form.  Once received by the OAE, a grievance can take up to 45 days. If the grievance reveals a potential violation of the RPC, a docket number will be assigned and the investigation will begin. The Grievance Docketing and Investigation are described in detail , as are the Formal Complaint and Hearing Process.

The OAE files Quarterly Discipline Reports which are available online.  Complaint files are available to the public.  

• To make arrangements to view a complaint filed by a district ethics committee (Docket numbers starting with I through XIII), call the District Secretary.
• To make arrangements to view a complaint filed by the OAE (docket numbers starting with XIV), call 609-403-4800.

The Disciplinary Review Board maintains a database of all attorneys disciplined since 1988.  Discipline Cases from the last three months are also available.  

The New Jersey State Library has the 2025 New Jersey Attorney Ethics - Annotated book available in-house and available to borrow with a New Jersey State Library Card.  This volume provides the full-text of the RPC rules, commentary, case information, and information on the history of the rule.

The Disciplinary Review Board (DRB) is part of the New Jersey Supreme Court’s attorney discipline process. It reviews all attorney misconduct cases prosecuted by the Office of Attorney Ethics (OAE). After it receives the OAE’s recommendation for discipline, the DRB reviews the entire record of the case. It then makes its own recommendation in the case.

Disciplinary Review Board meetings are public and can be viewed on the Court's livestream page.  The DRB schedule is published on the Court's webpage, as are the DRB Decisions.

The DRB maintains a database of all attorneys disciplined since 1988.