Despite having passed the requisite Professional Responsibility exam and collected many hours of Ethics CLE credits, many attorneys still seem to have little knowledge and less curiosity about the form and function of the New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics (OAE). Many of us treat the OAE as we might treat the Workers' Compensation Court or the Immigration or Patent or Tax Courts if our practices did not concern themselves with those matters. Not having business in such tribunals, we don't fill our data banks with information about them. We don't need to know where the courthouse is, who the judges are or how their proceedings proceed. We needn't know the players, follow changes in the law or know how to file a motion.

From this perhaps we can conclude that New Jersey attorneys' general indifference about the OAE stems from our knowledge that we'll never have a reason to cross paths with the Bar or to visit their offices out on Bear Tavern Road in Ewing. Being certain of our good ethics, we are comfortable with our superficial understanding of the investigatory and disciplinary apparatus that is quietly and constantly working in the background. Hence, most respondents learn about the OAE on a need-to-know basis.

A better way to learn about the OAE is membership on a District Ethics Committee, volunteering to investigate and process alleged violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct (RPCs). Attorneys in good standing with over five years at the bar should consider this; but understand that this is not a “no-show” job. Real effort is expected, and the volunteers perform a thankless service of inestimable value to their colleagues and to the profession. At the same time, they will acquire a better understanding of the OAE—that omnipotent arm of the Supreme Court that owns our licenses and controls everything thereto appurtenant.