Dead2Me: The ABA
By David Gulbransen
I’ve broached this subject before, but since the August theme for the SFI blog is “Dead to Me” I just couldn’t resist visiting it again. You know what’s dead to me? The American Bar Association.
It’s not that I don’t see value in professional organizations, I do. I’m a proud memer of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, and the West Suburban Bar Association. Each of these bar organizations provide me with valuable resources as an Illinois based practicing attorney. The ABA? Not so much.
What is it that I get from these state/local bar associations that I don’t get from the ABA? Well, for starters, a feeling that they actually value my membership. I never got much from the ABA except a dues notice. With my local bar associations, I can far more easily participate in committees related to my practice areas, meet and get to know other, local, practicing attorneys for mentorship and advice. With the ABA I get an annual conference and a Tech Show. And I can hit up the Tech Show without being a member anyway, should I get the urge.
There are other, real and substantial benefits with the other bar associations, too. I get access to legal research tools at a reduced rate. I get life insurance, which to a solo practitioner with a family, is an important benefit. I get professional liability insurance, to protect my practice and my clients. Oh, I can get those things from the ABA, of course, but I would pay dearly for it. Nearly three times as much for professional liability alone.
As an attorney, I’m licensed at a state level. So I guess it stands to reason that the most valuable resources are going to be state and local resources. But I would have thought that many of my needs from a professional organization—especially as a solo practitioner—would be well served by the large membership base of a national organization. I thought wrong.
So, while the ABA tries to figure out how to better serve solos, and tries desparately to look cool with initiatives like “Legal Rebels” the state and local bar associations are out there making a concrete difference in the lives of small firm and solo practitioners.
The ABA may be dead to me, but bar associations aren’t. If you’re a small firm attorney or solo practitioner, I would encourage you to check out your local bar associations, and take a good, hard look at what that ABA membership due is really getting you. I think you might find your hard earned money is better spent elsewhere.
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I wouldn't say the ABA is exactly "dead," but its membership scheme may be, and I think the ABA realizes this. So many members (such as myself) stopped renewing; I started chunking my renewal dues notices in the trash a few years ago, yet I still receive the magazines in the mail. If the ABA does not give out memberships for free to solos, it risks losing half their membership. The ABA can generate income through other means, such as selling publications, advertising, or CLEs. It doesn't have to keep charging these high fees to solos.
David: Maybe you should rethink your strategy regarding your expectations of how the ABA can benefit you. It is the very fact that the ABA is a very large organization serving a national, versus state or local, base of lawyers, that can give it an impersonal face. But any bar organization can only give back what members are willing to put into it. No, you will not receive any touchy-feely emails asking how they can serve you. But there are hundreds of lawyers nationwide who dedicate time and energy to creating resources and programs that are available to members. Research the website and find the nuggets of information and services that are available. Join in and participate - there are plenty of opportunities. The ABA may spring from a very conservative, biglaw constituency, it is the participation of people like you and me who can really make a difference.
donnaseyle That's precisely why I think the ABA is worthless. Leveraging a very large, national membership base should enable an organization like the ABA to provide things like life insurance, health insurance, and professional liability insurance at a much better rate than many *much* smaller state and local bar associations, yet, that doesn't seem to be the case.
I don't want touchy-feely e-mails. My gripe isn't necessarily about a "personal face". But what I don't want are stupid "features" like "Legal Rebels" or the "Blog 100" that pay lip service to solos/small firms without adding any real value. I want concrete, tangible benefits for my dues and I have not seen any way the ABA delivers. I agree you get back what you put in, but when state/local bar associations pay back my dues and participation in spades, the ABA doesn't seem to give me anything I want or need. What *specifically* is it that I'm missing? Care to give some specific examples of value you receive from the ABA?
dgulbran donnaseyle David, To butcher an old phrase, I think you're paying too much attention to the forest, and not enough to the trees. I won't argue with you about the value the "big ABA" brings to its members - that's something the association continues to struggle with. (I will say that I have gotten some great discounts on car rentals and hotel rooms with my ABA membership - and there are other member benefits that are pretty cool).
But where I think the real value lies is with the Sections. By joining a section in your area(s) of practice, you have the opportunity to network with others who practice in the same areas as you, get free (or discounted) resources, and get exposure to a broader range of expertise. Of course, you may already have access to this in your own State/Local bar - but I would argue not with the breadth as a more nationwide membership might provide.
Although the ISBA and Chicago Bar have some great practice management resources, I would argue that the ABA's Law Practice Management Section's resources (publications, magazines, webcasts, conferences) are among the best in the country. And although you can get *most* of that without being a member of the ABA, you'll wind up paying a lot more for it. The annual $50 membership to the LPM Section gets you a $200 discount to TECHSHOW, so it already paid for itself and then some.
I also think our LPM meetings provide some great opportunities for networking - we have 80-100 like-minded people getting together 4 times a year to talk about marketing, technology, finance, and general management topics - it's a lot of fun.
You may find that you're getting all of this from your state/local bar association, and there's not much I do to argue against that, other than suggest that the ABA can expose a member to a nationwide cross-section of lawyers. Not everyone's state/local bar provides resources like I find with LPM - certainly not the Dallas Bar or State Bar of Texas. We'd love to have you join our section and learn more about the value we can offer the practicing lawyer :-)
Wow Dave (@dgulbran). Don't hold back now. :) I think you make some good points, and highlight an assumption that joining a big, national association is automatically beneficial. It's kind of like any avenue: you might have to try out various groups/associations in order to focus on the ones that deliver.
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I must agree with your thoughts, Mr. Gulbransen. A few years ago, I rejoined the ABA - I was excited about its efforts to more thoughtfully engage solos and small firm attorneys. I've enjoyed the ABA Journal and other publications that came with my membership. But that's been about it. I find the resources for non-biglaw to be thin. Very thin. (And most of these, such as the Solosez listserve, can be enjoyed without paying for a membership.) And while there are a number of ABA publications I would like to buy, they are for the most part quite expensive (even for members) and, as far as I can tell, *none* are available in electronic form. (How is this possible, in this day and age? Really?)
I've been wavering as to whether I would renew this year. The 2011 Legal Rebels issue made my decision easy. After reading it, I reflected, 'What does the ABA ever say that speaks to me?' Well, not much. Definitely not enough to warrant the price of admission. A specific Rebel example: I created a firm wiki years ago and have maintained and improved it constantly - it's a 24/7 resource for our attorneys and support staff and measurably improves our delivery of client services. That a biglaw paralegal is declared a Legal Rebel for creating a firm wiki... all I can say (again) is, really? I thought that biglaw had the upper hand when it comes to leveraging technology in the practice of law. With the advent of cloud-based tech - and the determination of us 'small law' folks - I now see the ABA lauding biglaw for things that small lawyers like me have been doing for a while.
I can't justify the expense for ABA membership when I receive so little in return. Which brings me to the matter of pricing - a break in dues for private practice attorneys is available only to solos. Glad that the ABA acknowledges solos this way, but does it really think that I can afford to pay more just because I practice in a two-attorney firm? Guess what - I can't. The ABA should try an approach like that of my state (Tennessee) bar association - the TBA offers membership on a sliding scale, based on the attorney's income. THIS makes sense.
So, I concur with your parting thoughts. Those of us who work in small law are wise to spend our hard-earned money on local bar associations - these can provide cost-effective, *relevant* CLE and publications as well as a true support network. Bye-bye, ABA.
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