New Jersey: Judiciary Issues Attorney Wellbeing Adjournment Protocols — A Court-Level Recognition That Structural Relief Is Required

The New Jersey Judiciary this week released formal Notices to the Bar establishing statewide protocols for adjournment requests in direct response to the NJSBA's Putting Lawyers First Task Force recommendations. The protocols allow attorneys to request adjournments, extensions, or other relief due to personal circumstances — specifically including attorney wellbeing — with an appeal path if the initial request is denied, and the Judiciary simultaneously issued a separate Notice recognizing adjournment requests connected to wellbeing circumstances. The NJSBA's prior survey found that 48% of respondents believed the Judiciary has an impact on attorney wellbeing and that granting timely adjournment requests more liberally would directly address lawyer mental health. The significance for law firm leaders and bar association wellness leads beyond New Jersey is the precedent it sets: a state judiciary formally encoding attorney wellbeing as a legitimate ground for scheduling relief is a structural intervention at a point in the legal process that has historically been immune to wellbeing considerations. The continuation of virtual appearances for certain court events and the commitment to a Judiciary wellbeing survey are parallel signals that the court system is beginning to treat attorney health as an operational variable rather than a personal responsibility.