This is a status report provided by the New Jersey State Bar Association on recently passed and pending legislation, regulations, gubernatorial nominations and/or appointments of interest to lawyers, as well as the involvement of the NJSBA as amicus in appellate court matters. To learn more, visit njsba.com.

Avvo, LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer a No-Go in NJ

New Jersey lawyers who participate in Avvo, LegalZoom or Rocket Lawyer legal service plans are running afoul of ethics rules, according to a joint advisory opinion issued by the Supreme Court. The Advisory Committee on Professional Ethics, Committee on Attorney Advertising and Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law issued a joint opinion that Avvo's legal service programs improperly require a lawyer to share a legal fee with a nonlawyer and pay an impermissible referral fee, and that LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer are not registered with the Administrative Office of the Courts. The opinion was issued in response to an inquiry from the New Jersey State Bar Association.