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5 Ways to Make Your Membership Work for You!

Are you an active member of your local bar association?

If not, then it's time to GET INVOLVED!

A bar association can provide a wealth of opportunities for you to make meaningful connections and build your practice!

Here are five ways to get more out of your bar association membership.

1.  Join a section to get referrals.

Most large bar associations are divided into sections representing the various practice areas or topics of interest for lawyers.

Once you join, you can take full advantage of the the section's email listserv or discussion board, and subscribe to newsletters. Other benefits include:

• Making connections with people who do the same kind of work.
• Building a referral source network.
• Raising your reputation by becoming a leader. You can join the section council and eventually become chair.

2. Go to the Annual Meeting.

Put cost and distance aside and make time to go your bar's annual meeting.  It will be the  place you are going to find the highest concentration of powerful rainmakers in your state.

Go to the meeting and socialize. Collect and hand out business cards. CONNECT!

3. Volunteer for pro bono projects.

Think of a pro bono project as a team building exercise for the bar association. It takes people from very different practices, locations, and experience levels and throws them into a shared exercise where most of the normal rules do not apply. You may find yourself helping the managing partners of a 1,000-lawyer firm with something that is simple to you, but brand new and difficult to them. Those kinds of interactions foster strong and lasting relationships.

4. Sign up for the lawyer referral service.

If your bar has a lawyer referral service, take full advantage of it! It is a cost-effective way to generate potential clients.

5. Utilize the practice management advisor or the mentor program.

Many bar associations have a professional on staff called a practice management advisor (PMA). Typically, a PMA is a former practicing attorney or law firm staff member who offers FREE consultation on issues of law practice management. Others have mentoring programs.  If your bar association offers a PMA or a mentor, take the time to meet that person and find out how he/she can help you in your practice.

When it comes to making the most of your bar association membership, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Don't let your dues go to waste! Make every penny count by reaching out and taking advantage of all the business building opportunities your association provides. It may just be the most cost effective way to build your practice!

Adapted from article Ten Tip for Making Your Bar Association Dues Work for You by Erik Mazzone.