James Steven Braaten
On the New York attorney register since 1999 · office in Neptune, NJ
PlainAttorney’s reading of the public register file, not a court record.
- Registration No.
- 2987782
- Admitted
- 1999 · Third Department
- Status
- Currently registered
- Next registration
- Jul 2027
James Steven Braaten is currently registered on the New York attorney register file of Sep 29, 2026. Admitted in 1999 in the Third Department, with an office in Neptune, NJ; next registration due Jul 2027. The status is the same in all 3 files we hold.
What this status means on the register
On the register, “Currently registered” means James Steven Braaten has filed the biennial registration the court system requires; the next one is due in Jul 2027.
- Currently registered unchanged
- Currently registered unchanged
- Currently registered the first file we hold
Source: NY Office of Court Administration, attorney registration file (data.ny.gov, dataset eqw2-r5nb), downloaded Sep 29, 2026; the Jul 3, 2026 and Aug 6, 2026 files for the history.
Others who list this employer on the register
The register gives this attorney’s employer as “Clark & Distefano, PC”. We count that spelling with Clark & Distefano, P.C., the name most registrants give for the firm now; the register does not say where the attorney works today.
The only other attorney who lists Clark & Distefano, P.C. or one of its other names:
| Attorney | Admitted | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Francis Distefano | 2002 | Due to re‑register |
Source: NY Office of Court Administration, attorney registration file (data.ny.gov, dataset eqw2-r5nb), downloaded Sep 29, 2026; employer spellings merged (methodology).
Where this record sits on the register
James Steven Braaten studied at Rutgers Law School (the register spells it “RUTGERS SCHOOL OF LAW”). 1,406 of its 7,506 living graduates on the register were admitted in the 1990s, as James Steven Braaten was.
- Same law school
- 7,506living graduates; 84.1% registered (current or due), against 87.1% overall
- Office in Neptune, NJ
- 21living registrants (outside New York State)
Of the 21 living registrants with an office in Neptune, NJ, 10 were admitted before 1999 and 10 after.
Source: NY Office of Court Administration, attorney registration file (data.ny.gov, dataset eqw2-r5nb), downloaded Sep 29, 2026; living registrants only.
Questions this record leads to
- Rutgers Law School graduates on the register7,506 living, 84.1% registered.
- Admitted in 19997,628 people admitted in 1999 are on the register, 2,063 of them through the Third Department.
- Every registration that reads “Currently registered”286,911 on the register file of Sep 29, 2026, by decade of admission.
- What a New York lawyer may chargeThe court rules on fees, retainers and fee disputes, each cited.
How to confirm it officially
For a statement of James Steven Braaten’s standing, contact the Attorney Registration Unit of the NY Office of Court Administration (nycourts.gov/attorneys), or ask the Appellate Division, Third Department, which admitted James Steven Braaten in 1999. The register places the office outside New York, so a complaint would go to that department’s grievance committee (22 NYCRR 1240.7(a)(2)).
This page reads the register file of Sep 29, 2026, and the court system’s own search can be newer; the register shows only the current value, so a suspension that ended before the files we hold, or a censure, leaves no trace here (Appellate Division decisions are published through the court system’s Law Reporting Bureau).