The Massachusetts Bar Association is working hard to provide
benefits that will help you every day in the practice of law. The
legal profession is being changed dramatically by technology, and
we are committed to making the most of the high tech benefits that
can provide real value to you.
My challenge to you, as we begin 2010, is to take us up on this.
Trying something new takes energy, and so this is the perfect time
of year to commit to making the most of your MBA membership. Here
are my suggestions for just a few of the benefits that you can try
in 2010. Many (but not all) of these relate to technology:
1. Watch an educational program online while sitting at
your desk or at home, either live or purchased through our online
directory. Starting this month, we have the best new CLE
technology called "MBA On Demand." The online educational programs
are presented in high definition video and sound, and you can watch
a split screen with the speaker on one side and their PowerPoint
presentation in the other. After the program has finished, you can
put your curser anywhere on the PowerPoint presentation, and the
program will take you to that part of the video. For the family law
attorneys who could not attend the Annual Family Law Conference in
Chatham last November, the entire program is now available
online.
2. If you are hiring an associate, paralegal or legal
assistant or have some office space to lease, put up a free ad on
our new online classified section of our Web page. This
service is now completely free to all members. Feel free to use it
like a Craigslist for professionals - for example - if you have a
vacation home you want to rent out to fellow members of the bar, or
if you have office furniture to sell, you can list it there at no
charge.
3. If you are in between jobs, underemployed or in some
other professional transition, consider joining our Lawyers in
Transition task force, and drop in for some networking, mentoring
and brainstorming. Of all times, this is the perfect time
to seek out people at the bar association who can provide guidance
and support to you. You are not in this alone.
4. Sign up for our March 2010 Annual Conference at the
Westin Copley in Boston. We will have leading experts
throughout multiple practice areas, as well as national speakers on
topics including "Building Your Business in the Post-Crash
Economy," "Improving Office Efficiency" and "Social Media for
Lawyers." (See related story on page 3.)
5. Join the MBA LinkedIn network and follow us on
Twitter. Don't know how to do this? Visit www.MassBar.org
and click on the Twitter logo to go through a quick sign-up
process. We'll keep you informed about the latest legal news, as
well as opportunities for socializing and networking. You can
follow "Legal Headlines," where we provide links to all of the
important legal stories in the news every day.
6. Call the MBA Insurance Agency to make sure that you
have appropriate coverage for malpractice, health, disability, auto
and life insurance. Due to our strength in numbers, the
MBA provides the best coverage at the lowest price available.
7. Try the newest version of Casemaker for your online
legal research if you're looking to reduce your office's overhead
costs. True, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of
Lexis or Westlaw, but the price is right (it's free to all MBA
members). Just go to our Web site and follow the instructions.
Webinars are available every Tuesday at 11 a.m. The new Casemaker
2.1 is a great improvement and will keep your legal research up to
date and accurate.
8. Scan your favorite MBA publications (Massachusetts
Law Review, Section Review) into pdf format and view Lawyers
Journal in PDF form on our Web site. Read them at your
leisure on a Kindle or other electronic reading device (or even
just a laptop as you ride the train, for that matter). Even if
you'd rather read them in hard copy, remember to bring them with
you anywhere you might have some extra time. If you haven't read
the just published special commemorative issue of Massachusetts Law
Review to celebrate the Superior Court's 150th anniversary, it is
well worth the time.
9. Review all the discounts we have negotiated on your
behalf. Remember to double-check all of the businesses
that will give you MBA discounts, which include: Affiniscape
Merchant Solutions, AmeriVault, Avis, Bank of America, Beacon Hill
Staffing, Budget Rental, Catuogno Court Reporting, EsqSites123.com,
Geek Office Solutions, Federal Express, Hertz, LimoLiner,
Marketyourlawpractice.com, Sports Club/LA, Staples Business
Advantage, Thrive Networks, TurboLaw Document Software and TurboLaw
Time and Billing.
10. Sign up for a section membership electronic
newsletter in your area of practice. We have 17 section
councils, including Access to Justice, Business Law, Civil
Litigation, Criminal Law, Family Law, Health Law, Labor and
Employment and many others (check our Web site for the complete
listing). Most of the section councils now send their members
periodic electronic newsletters to keep them updated about
important developments. If your section hasn't yet started one, you
can offer to help get it started.
11. Sign up to receive referrals from our Lawyer
Referral Service. For a modest charge, you can be on our
list of attorneys who will receive referrals. Every day, we screen
more than 200 calls and then make appropriate referrals. Try it in
your practice area - you never know when it could be a great
case!
12. If you have a fee dispute with a client or law
partner, use our Fee Arbitration Board and keep the case out of the
courts. A binding arbitration hearing by experienced and
fair hearing officers will decide the reasonable value of an
attorney's legal services.
13. If you need an ethical opinion, submit a question to
our Committee on Professional Ethics. Every lawyer can be
faced with difficult ethical questions. You don't need to figure it
out alone. The Committee on Professional Ethics will help render an
opinion, under appropriate circumstances, free of charge to any MBA
member.
Best wishes to all of you in the New Year. May your professional
lives be meaningful and enjoyable, and may your work contribute to
a more just society.