My earlier series of blog posts that focused on law school were so well received that I’ve decided to follow up with another two-part blog post series. This time I’m focusing on bar associations.
In recent years, bar associations big and small have struggled with membership levels, in part due to online tools and social media usurping some of their most valuable benefits, such as networking functions and CLE programs. The end result is that for many lawyers, the value of belonging to bar associations has declined over time.
But bar associations still have a lot to offer: the key is ascertaining and meeting the needs of 21st century lawyers. In other words, bar associations need to pivot and change with the times.
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Admittedly, this is easier said than done and there are no easy answers. But it’s a great issue to crowdsource, so I decided to see what my online connections had to say about it.
For Part I of this two-part blog post series, I asked my connections whether they belonged to bar associations, and why or why not? I learned that for some lawyers, the professional face-to-face networking opportunities were a big draw, while others appreciated the member discounts available for legal research tools, software products, laptops, and more. Many others shared that they still found value in the CLE seminars offered.
Not surprisingly, some lawyers were less enamored with bar association membership. A number of lawyers indicated that belonging to bar associations was cost prohibitive, and others only belonged to their state bar because doing so was mandatory.
So I wondered, what would draw the naysayers in? That’s why for Part II of this series, I focused on determining what would entice lawyers in 2018 to join bar associations. I asked my online connections this question:
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What services or benefits do you wish Bar Associations offered?
The responses ran the gamut, but a number of themes quickly emerged.
First and foremost, healthcare. Ben Stevens, a South Carolina attorney, summed it up nicely:
Great health insurance coverage.
Other attorneys who requested affordable healthcare benefits included Joseph Rockne, a Seattle lawyer, and Sareer Fazili, a Rochester practitioner. This response popped up so many times — from lawyers across the country — that it’s clearly a pain point for lawyers, and if bar associations could figure out a consistent way to help lawyers obtain affordable healthcare benefits, that would be a huge draw.
Along the same lines, Sarah Gold, an Albany lawyer, suggested a different type of discounted group rate that will likely resonate with other lawyers:
Better group rates on malpractice insurance.
Another idea that a number of lawyers suggested was legal technology training. For example, Ashley McCord, a recent law school graduate included this among her list of benefits that would be most valuable to her, and also mentioned another popular benefit, access to mentors:
Legal technology training, mentors, mental health resources, and even more regularly scheduled networking events. It would also be cool if the state bar associations would have special networking events for members who attended law school outside the state.
Another technology request that cropped up often was for affordable legal research tools. Jeff Burack, a New York City lawyer, offered the following suggestion:
Really cheap Westlaw/Lexis access and good forms. Facilitate internet friendliness of Courts and clerk’s offices to reduce need for travel for routine matters.
In keeping with access to information, Stephanie Moss Quigley, a Louisiana lawyer, provided this response:
I’d like a better lending library.
Because affordability of bar association dues is an issue for so many lawyers who responded to my inquiry in Part I, the idea that Susan Jaworowski, an inactive Hawaii attorney and professor, proffered was of interest:
Lower bar dues for inactive attorneys in good standing.
Randy Juip, a Michigan attorney, provided a really interesting idea, but it’s one that I’m not sure would be palatable to many bar associations, since support of the judiciary often seems to be built into their DNA:
A program for lawyers to push back against abusive judges – not judges who may rule against you or with whom you disagree, but judges who are unnecessarily rude, dismissive, or inflexible.
My co-author, good friend, and fellow Above the Law blogger, D.C. attorney Carolyn Elefant, offered another intriguing suggestion that could be a big draw for some lawyers:
Significant discounts not just on law stuff but also shows, ballgames etc.
Other interesting and atypical requests included low-cost childcare, mental health resources, 10-minute chair massages, an annual clam bake, free tacos, and “fewer douchebags.”
So there you have it, bar association executives: lots of great ideas to help you meet the needs of 21st century lawyers. They run the gamut, but the common threads provide a ton of useful insights upon which you can build.
Lawyers still need your services — the trick is finding new ways to meet their ever-changing needs. Pivot and exceed their expectations, and then see what happens. I, for one, can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York attorney and the Legal Technology Evangelist at MyCase, web-based law practice management software. She’s been blogging since 2005, has written a weekly column for the Daily Record since 2007, is the author of Cloud Computing for Lawyers, co-authors Social Media for Lawyers: the Next Frontier, and co-authors Criminal Law in New York. She’s easily distracted by the potential of bright and shiny tech gadgets, along with good food and wine. You can follow her on Twitter @nikiblack and she can be reached at [email protected].