Counsel Find a New Jersey lawyer, check one, or file an ethics grievance or fee dispute, county by county

Find a lawyer

If you cannot pay at all, Legal Services comes first. Otherwise every county bar association runs a lawyer referral service: a short consultation at a fixed low fee, then a lawyer who takes that kind of case.

• Legal Services of New JerseyFree civil legal help for people with low income, statewide. Start here if you cannot pay a lawyer.
• LSNJ statewide hotlineCall 1-888-LSNJ-LAW (888-576-5529) or apply online; the hotline routes you to your regional Legal Services office.
• County bar associations — the NJSBA listThe State Bar's own directory of the 21 county bars and their lawyer referral services.

Your county’s referral service

Every link opened and checked on 2026-09-02; a service nobody could open is shown as text with the reason, not guessed.

Atlantic

Atlantic County Bar Association · 609-345-3444

Bergen

Bergen County Bar Association · 201-488-0044

Burlington

Burlington County Bar Association · 609-261-4862

Camden

Camden County Bar Association · 856-482-0618

Cape May

Cape May County Bar Association · 609-463-0313

Cumberland

Cumberland County Bar Association · 856-453-7000

Essex

Essex County Bar Association · 973-622-6207

Gloucester

Gloucester County Bar Association · 856-848-4589

Hudson

Hudson County Bar Association · 201-798-4708

Hunterdon

Hunterdon County Bar Association · 908-200-7822

Mercer

Mercer County Bar Association · 609-585-6200

Middlesex

Middlesex County Bar Association · 732-828-3433

Monmouth

Monmouth Bar Association · 732-431-5544

Morris

Morris County Bar Association · 973-267-5882

Ocean

Ocean County Bar Association · 732-240-3666

Passaic

Passaic County Bar Association · 973-345-4585 The referral list is a PDF the association publishes each year; the first half-hour consultation with a listed lawyer costs $50, and any fee after that is agreed with the lawyer directly.

Salem

Salem County Bar Association: no county service found; NJSBA statewide list · 856-935-5629

Somerset

Somerset County Bar Association · 908-685-2323

Sussex

Sussex County Bar Association: no county service found; NJSBA statewide list

Union

Union County Bar Association · 908-353-4715

Warren

Warren County Bar Association: no county service found; NJSBA statewide list

Check a lawyer

1. Licence and standing. The Judiciary’s Statewide Attorney Index is public: search by name and it shows whether the person is admitted in New Jersey, whether they are eligible to practise this year or on the ineligible list, and their office of record.
2. Discipline history. The Disciplinary Review Board’s portal has an alphabetical list of disciplined attorneys and a search of disciplinary and regulatory cases with the decisions.
3. Malpractice insurance. New Jersey does not make every lawyer carry it. A firm organised as a PC, LLC or LLP must carry professional liability insurance and file a certificate with the Clerk of the Supreme Court (R. 1:21-1A, 1B, 1C); any other lawyer who carries it may file one (R. 1:21-1D). Filed certificates are shown in the same Attorney Index entry (the Judiciary’s guide). No certificate on file does not prove there is no policy; ask the lawyer before you hire.
4. Stolen money. If a lawyer took client funds, the Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection reimburses losses; 855-533-3863.

Source: NJ Courts, Attorney Resources and the Attorney Registration pages, read 2026-09-02.

Complain about a lawyer

In New Jersey a complaint about a lawyer is called an ethics grievance. It is decided by the Supreme Court’s disciplinary system, not by the county bar association: the Office of Attorney Ethics and 18 volunteer District Ethics Committees, one for each district of counties. A dispute about the bill is a separate thing, fee arbitration, with its own District Fee Committee, its own form and a 30-day clock.

To

The secretary of the District Ethics Committee for the county where the lawyer has an office, named below for each county.

Or

Online through JEDS, the Judiciary’s electronic filing system, or on the grievance form by mail to Office of Attorney Ethics, Attn: Grievance Processing, Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex, P.O. Box 963, Trenton, NJ 08625. Grievances sent by email are not processed.

Questions

Office of Attorney Ethics, 609-403-7800; interpreter or ADA accommodation, ext. 34110.

An ethics grievance, in five steps

1. Decide which door. Dishonesty, neglect, conflicts, missing money, lies to the court: an ethics grievance. A bill you think is too high: fee arbitration, below. The ethics office will not investigate a grievance that is really a fee dispute.
2. Wait for the case to end, if there is one. A grievance that involves pending civil or criminal litigation with that lawyer is usually not investigated until the litigation is over.
3. File it. Online through JEDS, or on the grievance form by mail to the Office of Attorney Ethics, Attn: Grievance Processing, P.O. Box 963, Trenton, NJ 08625. It is routed to the district secretary for the county where the lawyer practises; the table below names that person.
4. Count 45 days. Review takes up to 45 days; you are mailed a letter saying the grievance was declined or docketed. Once docketed it cannot be withdrawn. Investigation is planned within six months at a District Ethics Committee, nine months at the Office of Attorney Ethics.
5. If it is dismissed, 21 days to appeal. The appeal goes to the Disciplinary Review Board. If misconduct is found, a formal complaint follows, with a hearing before a panel of two lawyers and one member of the public, or diversion for minor matters under R. 1:20-3.

In the Judiciary’s own words, read 2026-09-02:

“Grievances sent by email will not be processed.”

NJ Courts, File an Ethics Grievance

“After receipt by the district secretary, grievance review may take up to 45 days.”

NJ Courts, File an Ethics Grievance

“If the grievance involves current pending civil or criminal litigation filed involving the attorney. A grievance may be submitted after civil or criminal litigation has been fully completed .”

NJ Courts, File an Ethics Grievance

“Grievances assigned to a DEC investigator are planned to be investigated within six months or less. Grievances assigned to the OAE are planned to be investigated within nine months or less.”

NJ Courts, File an Ethics Grievance

“A grievance cannot be withdrawn after it has been docketed.”

NJ Courts, File an Ethics Grievance

“A copy of the investigative report will be sent, and you will have 21 days to appeal the decision. An appeal is filed with the Disciplinary Review Board .”

NJ Courts, File an Ethics Grievance

A fee dispute, in four steps

1. Talk to the lawyer first, then ask for the District Fee Secretary’s name; the lawyer must give it to you and must tell you about your right to fee arbitration.
2. File within 30 days of that notice or you lose the right. Send the Fee Arbitration Request form, five copies, your documents and a $50 fee (payable to “Disciplinary Oversight Committee”) to the fee secretary for the county where the lawyer has an office. If you cannot pay the $50, ask the Fee Arbitration Unit for a fee waiver form, 609-403-7800 ext. 34120.
3. Know what is out of scope: fees over $100,000, fees already set by a court, more than six years since the last work, disputes that raise substantial legal questions or involve other parties.
4. Hearing and refund. Private, unrecorded, at least ten days’ notice; under $3,000 may be heard by one member, over $3,000 by a panel. A refund is due within 30 days; if the lawyer does not pay, the same unit can move to suspend them. Appeals go to the Disciplinary Review Board within 21 days, on narrow grounds only.

In the Judiciary’s own words, read 2026-09-02:

“The attorney must inform you of your right to seek fee arbitration. The attorney must provide the name, address, and phone number of the District Fee Secretary .”

NJ Courts, File a Fee Dispute

“Fee Arbitration Request Form must be filed within 30 days. If not, you will lose the right to file a Fee Arbitration.”

NJ Courts, File a Fee Dispute

“A $50 filing fee must be included with the submission. The Fee Arbitration Request will not be processed until the $50 filing fee is paid. The check or money order must be made payable to “Disciplinary Oversight Committee.”

NJ Courts, File a Fee Dispute

“Fee arbitration is not available: If the fee is more than $100,000. If the client fails to file within 30-days of receiving a notice from the attorney. If more than six years have passed since the last attorney’s services were rendered, regardless of whether the client has received a proper 30-day notice from the attorney to file Fee Arbitration. If the fee has been determined by a court. If the fee dispute raises substantial legal questions. If other parties have an interest in the fee amount.”

NJ Courts, File a Fee Dispute

“If the hearing decides a client is due a refund, then the refund must be paid within 30 days of the hearing decision. The only exception is if the matter has been appealed by either the client or the attorney.”

NJ Courts, File a Fee Dispute

“The appeal must be filed within 21 days of the written decision. The appeal must be filed with the Disciplinary Review Board.”

NJ Courts, File a Fee Dispute

Every county: vicinage, ethics committee, fee committee

Secretaries as listed in the Judiciary’s District Ethics and Fee Committees directory on 2026-09-02. They are practising lawyers serving a term; when in doubt, that directory is current. District XIV is the Office of Attorney Ethics itself, which takes complex matters from any county.