Why Join?

NEW FOR 2013-2014 

We never stop improving our resources for our members. We help you advance your knowledge, connections and career. We deliver the greatest value possible for your membership.

NEW www.nysba.org! With a responsive design that allows you to have specialized views delivered right to your devices.  Resources that are available to you include: an online marketplace; a search engine tailored to the profession; self-service options for printing invoices, receipts and CLE certificates; as well as easy access to blogs and Communities (see next bullet). Use the MyNYSBA page to automatically retrieve and organize the information relevant to your practice.

  • Online Section-wide communities – act as a virtual network to grow your career. Communities are private, online professional networks, built on the concept of listserves that offer enhanced features such as collaboration tools and document libraries. They offer you tools to help you connect, network and work collaboratively with fellow NYSBA members.

  • Fastcase free legal research service – NYSBA members receive FREE and unlimited access to a substantial number of libraries, and an 80% discount (that’s just $195 per year) on unlimited access to the full Fastcase law library which includes all Federal and State research libraries. And for NYSBA’s newly admitted attorney members: you get free access to the full Fastcase research libraries for your first two years after you are admitted. The Fastcase Collection includes cases, statutes, regulations, court rules and constitutions.

  • NYSBA Women’s Community – designed to help connect women attorneys with NYSBA and each other for professional success. A quarterly Community newsletter will provide interviews with prominent attorneys, updates on current issues and various practice tips and valuable advice. The NYSBA website will also include a women’s resource center with links to relevant content, as well as a private online professional Community. 

CLE Continuing Legal Education

For New York-law specific CLE seminars and products: go to www.nysba.org/CLE.  With courses taught by the state’s leading legal minds, we deliver you the highest-quality education available. With NYSBA CLE you can:

  • Save time with the Advanced CLE Search: smart filters eliminate search results not pertinent to your search and help you target the specific content you need; CLE specific-search allows you to find programs by topic, date, location, credits or format; and, search including CLE is available from every page.

  • Save money with a significant members-only 40% discount.

  • We offer more than 225 live programs, webinars, teleconferences and webcasts, and programs available on CD, and DVD.

  • Save even more time with CLE audio files – downloadable for use with iPod and MP3 players.

  • Record your credits online – the www.nysba.org updated CLE page includes a special CLE Credit Tracker showing the number and type of credits for each course; and credits earned through NYSBA are automatically, conveniently tabulated.

  • Take advantage of members-only discounts on Section-sponsored CLE seminars, plus more than 40 CLE sessions every January, all under one roof, at our Annual Meeting

Information

We deliver more accurate information every day. NYSBA helps you stay informed on New York law. With NYSBA membership you get complimentary subscriptions to three publications in print form and convenient, online searchable archives:

  • NYSBA Journal delivers substantive articles on current legal topics
  • New York State Law Digest features monthly analysis of Court of Appeals decisions
  • State Bar News highlights NYSBA legislative actions and member initiatives 

With NYSBA membership you also have access to an increasing variety of timely, electronic and print communications, tools and resources including: 

  • NEW Communities to help you connect, network and work together on projects with colleagues via enhanced features such as collaboration tools and document libraries (see page 10 for greater detail). Communities also conveniently house all your social media avenues:  Blogs, Twitter feeds, LinkedIn groups, Facebook pages and YouTube Channels
  • Section newsletters and publications to help you stay informed of developments in your areas of practice
  • NYSBA Benefits e-newsletter to save you time and money on products and services geared for attorneys.
  • FREE Ethics App for your mobile device to help you avoid professional pitfalls.
  • FREE webcast series for new attorneys for the early stages of your career.
  • Government, Law and Policy Journal to help you understand in-depth public policy issues and trends**

Plus, with NYSBA membership you get convenient law practice and career resources: 

  • CLIO cloud-based practice management tool – a NYSBA member exclusive, CLIO is a 100% web-based legal practice management system that meets the specific needs of solo and small firm practitioners; ongoing NYSBA members receive a 10% lifetime discount; newly admitted attorneys receive a one-year FREE period; go to www.nysba.org/CLIO for a free trial.

  • The acclaimed, online Solo and Small Firm Resource Center found on www.nysba.org/lpm for successful practice management – features the popular Smallfirmville blog, free sample forms, practical tools for solo and small firms, ethics opinions, business continuity plans, and e-mail contacts for asking questions, among other benefits.

  • The NYSBA Career Center found on www.nysba.org/jobs and powered by JobTarget – offers a full featured job service board with FREE, confidential resume posting for members for one year; exclusive access to posted ads for 14 days; additional, comprehensive job, employment and careers resources; connections to job listings; and, links to key elements of any career transition.    

Website (www.nysba.org)

With the ALL NEW www.nysba.org you get the following features and benefits: 

  • New Intuitive Navigation - drop down and fly out menus make all major content areas accessible directly from the home page.
  • Sortable Events - Locate CLE, Section and NYSBA events more easily.
  • By Members for Members - Articles and blog posts written by members.
  • Reports - Recently approved substantive reports.
  • Members Only - A new navigation area consolidating all members-only offerings including publications, legal research, benefits, MyNYSBA and more.
  • Policy and Advocacy -A new navigation area highlighting the work of the Association.
  • Communities -Gives you direct access to NYSBA’s private online professional Communities from the home page or your mobile device.
  • Login - Log in just once and stay logged in to NYSBA’s website and Communities.

Sections & Committees

NYSBA is your one-stop resource for networking and professional development opportunities. Make valuable personal contacts. Establish life-long friendships. With NYSBA Sections and Committees you can:

  • Connect, network and work collaboratively with NEW Section-wide communities – private, online professional networks, built on the concept of  listserves.
  • Mix and mingle with some of the state’s finest legal minds – Section and Committee networking events with judges and prominent attorneys.
  • Save money – members receive significant discounts on Section-sponsored continuing legal education seminars.
  • Enhance your knowledge – practice-specific Section publications that help you stay informed of developments .

You can choose from NYSBA’s 25 Sections: 

Antitrust Law; Business Law; Commercial & Federal Litigation; Corporate Counsel; Criminal Justice; Dispute Resolution; Elder Law; Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law; Environmental Law; Family Law; Food, Drug & Cosmetic Law; General Practice; Health Law; Intellectual Property Law; International; Judicial (limited to judges of New York courts of record and judges of United States courts who reside in the state); Labor & Employment Law; Municipal Law; Real Property Law; Senior Lawyers (limited to attorneys age 55 and over); Tax; Torts, Insurance & Compensation Law; Trial Lawyers; Trusts & Estates Law; and Young Lawyers (open to law students and attorneys admitted less than 10 years) .

With NYSBA Committees you can influence the legislation that impacts your profession. Check out NYSBA’s complete list of committees at www.nysba.org/committees. 

Insurance & Financial Services

Designed especially for attorneys like you, NYSBA’s insurance and financial products add up to savings that often cover or even exceed the cost of membership. 

  • Lawyer’s Professional Liability Coverage – 800.265.2876 x 11352. Carrier CNA From solo attorneys to large firms, with NEW credits for NYSBA members: NEW 5% NYSBA membership credit. This 5% credit will be applied to your Lawyers’ Professional Liability Policy premium for membership in the NYSBA, on a per-attorney basis. NEW 7.5% risk control credit per attorney for two years after completing a qualifying CNA risk management seminar.
  • Business Insurance – 855.874.1266. Workers’ Compensation Dividend Program, Business Insurance Package, Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI), Directors & Officers coverage (D&O), Cyber Liability and Crime & Fiduciary Liability.
  • Medical – 888.834.3664. Medical Benefit Plans – You have access to three comprehensive PPO medical plans and one EPO plan option, all including prescription drug coverage.
  • Dental Benefits – An optional dental program is available through United Concordia.
  • Wellness Programs – Earn up to $300 a year for designated health & wellness activities.  Or take advantage of MVP Health Care’s award winning disease management programs and discounts.
  • Extensive Provider Network – Access to CIGNA Health Care’s extensive network of nearly 500,000 doctors and specialists and 5,000 hospitals and healthcare facilities; and MVP Health Care’s strong regional network of more than 19,000 providers and 150 hospitals and facilities.
  • Life and Disability – 877.245.8550. Underwritten by New York Life Insurance Company – Group Term Life Insurance, Group Long-Term Disability Income Insurance.
  • Personal & Financial – 877.245.8550. Auto, Home and Renters, and Accidental Death and Dismemberment.
  • Long Term Care – 800.616.8759.
  • Credit cards – NYSBA Platinum Plus® for Business MasterCard® from Bank of America (800.598.8791, code UABOJO); and, NYSBA Platinum Plus® MasterCard® Credit Card with World Points®  Rewards from Bank of America (800.932.2775, code UAA8G9).
  • NYSBA-endorsed ABA retirement funds – 800.826.8901. Profit sharing, 401(k), defined benefit, target benefit, and other plans.

Advocacy

We work actively to influence government policy for the advancement of the profession – and your practice. The Association’s 2013-2014 legislative priorities program encompasses the following:

  • Integrity of New York’s Justice System
  • Integrity of New York’s Juvenile Justice System
  • Revision of the Not-For-Profit Corporation Law
  • Sealing Records re: Conviction of Certain Crimes
  • Support for the Legal Profession