So you’ve passed the bar, or been sworn in, or decided to start your own firm and suddenly all the bar associations know your number. Now what? I s
uggest you shop around. Enrolling in every bar association can be inefficient and costly. You’ll end up spending all your time dashing between events and having no time to practice or being overwhelmed and attending none and meanwhile wasting the $500-$1000/year you’re shelling out for memberships.
- Cost – Quite possibly the most important factor, especially if you’re footing the bill yourself. A lot of bar associations still function on the model that the enrolled lawyer is working for a big law firm that can afford the hefty price tag per lawyer and write it off. There are a few that have a clue and have a more reasonable price tag for a new lawyer/small firm lawyer. Even better, there are some that follow a tiered income model or a model based on the number of years you practice. Additionally, if you ask the membership department, they may be willing to accommodate you with a payment plan or a lower fee to get you enrolled.
- Benefits – Do the associations you’re shopping include member benefits? For example, does your membership fee include free attendance to most (if not all) of the events hosted by the association? OR Do you pay to be a member AND also pay to attend seminars, workshops, CLEs, socials, etc? Does the association offer external discounts? Such as to local services of gyms, dry cleaning, and mobile assistants; national services examples include car rentals and hotel programs; and professional services such as networked/virtual office space, office supplies distributors, and software? Furthermore, are these benefits you will use? If the benefits are plenty, but not of use to you then this aspect of the membership may not be useful to you and you may want to reconsider your options.
- Degree of activity – The third thing I look at when I look up a bar association, after cost and member benefits, is the calendar. When was the last event? How often do they hold events? What kind of events? You can gauge how much of your time this bar association may take. If they are too active or not active enough, this may influence your choice based on your personal preferences. I personally like a bar association that has a lot of events for me to choose from. Additionally, you can determine your level of interest in the events they hold.
- Location – Is the bar association centrally located and reasonably accessible for your life? It won’t do to be a member of a bar association you have to travel a long distance to or traverse migraine inducing traffic to attend. Chances are you’ll shirk of attending events and utilizing their services and once again, money down the train.
- Sphere of Influence / Relevance – If you’re interest is intellectual property law, it behooves you to find a bar association with an active intellectual property section with a sphere of influence within your jurisdiction. The same goes for every other area of practice. A great way to determine the sphere of influence in your jurisdiction is to check out the list of section leaders and speakers for events. Are there names you recognize? Firms that have a reputation of success in your chosen practice area?
Two Final Points:
- Most bar associations will let you try it out for free or find a friend who is a member and tag a long to an event. They may also have certain programs that are open to non-members, which are opportunities for you to try it at no cost and see if there is a good fit.
- Many bar associations also offer a free membership
in your first bar admitted year (e.g. if you got sworn in in 2016, a 2016-2017 membership may be complimentary at some bar associations).
Happy Shopping!
~NV~
Sustained Sanity 