The New Jersey State Bar Association is the leading voice of the legal profession in the state. With over 18,000 attorneys, judges, and others in the legal industry among its members, the NJSBA fosters the professional lives of its members and promotes access to the justice system and fairness in its administration.
The association traces its roots to 1899, yet remains at the cutting edge of issues facing lawyers. It has sections and committees that focus on dozens of practice-specific areas, from family law to workers' compensation matters. It also has groups that examine the larger issues facing lawyers and society, including diversity and inclusion, pro bono work and professional responsibility, as well as groups that focus on young lawyers, women and minorities in the profession and solo and small-firm attorneys, who make up two-thirds of the attorneys in private practice.
The NJSBA has a vibrant advocacy program that includes a legislative program and amicus activity that takes its members in to the state's Appellate Division, Supreme Court and the federal district and appeals courts in New Jersey and New York. It also plays a critical role as the only nonpartisan organization that reviews of candidates to serve on the bench or as prosecutors.
The New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education has been consistently named the state's best provider of mandatory continuing legal education seminars. It brings in national speakers such as Alan Alda and Bob Woodward, offers daylong symposiums on cybersecurity and family law, and tackles niche areas like franchise law and appellate advocacy.