Any person hereafter appointed as a "referee," "referee, formal hearings," "supervising referee," or "supervising referee, formal hearings" shall be an attorney-at-law of the State of New Jersey, except that a referee or a referee, formal hearings who, on July 1, 1966, had been a referee or a referee, formal hearings for a period of not less than 5 years may be appointed as a "referee," "referee, formal hearings," or as a "supervising referee" or "supervising referee, formal hearings," notwithstanding that he is not such an attorney-at-law.
N.J.S. § 34:1A-12.2