Rule 1:20-1. Disciplinary Jurisdiction; Annual Fee and Registration

(a) Generally Every attorney and business entity authorized to practice law in the State of New Jersey, including those attorneys specially authorized for a limited purpose or in connection with a particular proceeding, shall be subject to the disciplinary jurisdiction of the Supreme Court as set forth in the Constitution of 1947, Article 6, Section 2, Paragraph 3. Attorneys who have resigned without prejudice pursuant to Rule 1:20-22 shall also be subject to such jurisdiction in respect of conduct undertaken prior to the acceptance of the resignation by the Court. To assist in the administration of its disciplinary function, the Supreme Court shall establish, in accordance with these Rules, district ethics committees (hereinafter referred to as the Ethics Committees or the Ethics Committee), district fee arbitration committees (hereinafter referred to as the Fee Committee or the Fee Committees), a Disciplinary Review Board (hereinafter referred to as the Board or Disciplinary Review Board), a Disciplinary Oversight Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Oversight Committee), and an Office of Attorney Ethics and a Director thereof (hereinafter referred to as the Director).

(b) Annual Fee Every attorney admitted to practice law in the State of New Jersey, including all persons holding a plenary license, those admitted pro hac vice in accordance with Rule 1:21-2, those holding a limited license as in-house counsel under Rule 1:27-2, those registered as multijurisdictional practitioners under RPC 5.5(b), those certified as Foreign Legal Consultants under Rule 1:21-9, and those permitted to practice under Rule 1:21-3(c) shall pay annually to the Oversight Committee a sum that shall be determined each year by the Supreme Court. All sums so paid shall be used for the attorney-discipline and fee-arbitration systems. This assessment shall be collected administratively in the same manner as and subject to the same exemptions provided under Rule 1:28-2, except that plenary-licensed attorneys who are in their second calendar year of admission shall pay a partial fee, as determined by the Supreme Court. The names of all persons failing to comply with the provisions of this Rule shall be reported to the Supreme Court for inclusion on its Ineligible to Practice Law List.

(c) Annual Registration Statement To facilitate the collection of the annual fee provided for in paragraph (b), every attorney admitted to practice law in this state, including all persons holding a plenary license, those admitted pro hac vice, those holding a limited license as in-house counsel, those registered as multijurisdictional practitioners, those certified as Foreign Legal Consultants, and those permitted to practice under Rule 1:21-3(c) shall, on or before February 1 of every year, or such other date as the Court may determine, pay the annual fee and file a registration statement with the New Jersey Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection (hereinafter referred to as the Fund). The registration statement shall be in a form prescribed by the Administrative Director of the Courts with the approval of the Supreme Court. As part of the annual registration process, each attorney shall certify compliance with Rule 1:28A. All registration statements shall be filed by the Fund with the Office of Attorney Ethics, which may destroy the registration statements after one year. Each lawyer shall file with the Fund a supplemental statement of any change in the attorney's billing address and shall file with the Office of Attorney Ethics a supplemental statement of any change in the home and primary bona fide law office addresses, as well as the main law office telephone number previously submitted and the financial institution or the account numbers for the primary trust and business accounts, either prior to such change or within thirty days thereafter. All persons first becoming subject to this rule shall file the statement required by this rule prior to or within thirty days of the date of admission. The information provided on the registration statement shall be confidential except as otherwise directed by the Supreme Court.

(d) Remedies for Failure to Pay or File Any person who fails to complete and file the annual registration statement required by paragraph (c) on or before February 1 of each year or such other date as the Court may determine, or to make payment as required by paragraph (b) within 30 days after the due date each year shall be declared to be ineligible to practice law and shall be included on the Ineligible To Practice Law List of the Supreme Court. A person who makes payment after February 1 of the billing year, or such other due date as the Court may establish, but before being placed on the Ineligible List, shall be subject to a late fee of $40. These late fees shall be shared equally between the Oversight Committee and the Fund. Such person shall be reinstated automatically to the practice of law without further order of the Court on filing with the Fund the completed annual registration statement for the current year together with the annual payment, the late fee, any arrears due from prior years, and full compliance with the Rule 1:28-2 requirements of the Fund. Pursuant to Rule 1:28-2(c), failure to complete and file the annual registration statement for seven consecutive years shall result in the administrative revocation of the attorney's license to practice in this State.