Dues Done Differently: Bars See Success with Innovation

Defense lawyer Brad Wolfe pays a little more money these days to be a member of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (CMBA), but he’s not complaining. Under a revised dues model, he is able to take unlimited Continuing Legal Education courses (CLEs) to broaden his knowledge base. Section memberships also are unlimited. Wolfe, a CMBA board member, is in at least four of the specialty groups, which offer their own programming and LISTSERVs. “That’s a very valuable resource within a resource,” the 34-year-old solo practitioner says. “It’s slightly more cost upfront, but I think it’s worth it tenfold.” 

All In One

The CMBA hopes his colleagues agree. It is a challenging time for voluntary bar associations, which face the imminent retirement of senior professionals and the idiosyncrasies of today’s law school graduates. Young lawyers are more cost-conscious because they carry greater student debt, and they may prefer digital avenues for networking, rather than in-person events. “Back in the day, older attorneys would say to a young attorney, ‘Come to the bar association with me. I see a lot of value in this’— now, that’s not happening as much,” says Melanie Farrell, the CMBA’s chief relationship officer. “So, we’ve got to work twice as hard to get their attention.”

In 2020, the CMBA launched an all-in-one membership model called “BarOne” for an annual fee of $499, with discounts for new lawyers, government attorneys and senior or retiring practitioners. Previously, the basic membership was $100 less, but CLE and sections were not included. These add-ons could cost potentially hundreds of dollars more on an à la carte basis, Farrell says.

For now, she says, members of the bar who prefer the old model — referred to as the “classic” plan — can still choose to go that route. It is expected to be phased out entirely in the future.

Other bar organizations are doing similar evaluations and making changes. The New York State Bar Association, which has introduced an all-inclusive membership model for 2025 that includes unlimited live and on-demand CLE, offers a monthly payment option, according to the organization’s website. Attorneys with between one and two years of practice, for example, can pay $179.40 for the year or monthly installments of $14.95. 

From Consideration to Implementation

According to the 2024 Bar Benchmarks report (compiled by the ABA Center for Bar Leadership), 33 percent of responding local bar associations said they had altered their dues and fees structures in the past two years, with another 28 percent considering a change. Collectively, this sector’s median membership retention rate was 92 percent, with the lowest margin reported at 61 percent. 

Voluntary state bars, which reported a median retention rate of 94 percent, are on a similar mission, the 2024 report suggests. Forty-five percent of these responding organizations said they have altered their dues and fees systems in the past two years, with another 20 percent thinking about it.  

The Ohio State Bar Association is already there. It made significant modifications to its membership structure in recent years after doing extensive market research, says CEO Mary Amos Augsburger, a special advisor on the ABA Standing Committee on Bar Leadership.  

Previously, her Columbus-based institution offered more than a dozen different price points. That was complicated and potentially obscured the organization’s core mission of “making sure lawyers know what they need to know when they need to know it and then how to do it,” she says. 

Bar officials considered offering fewer membership tiers with designations of “silver,” “gold,” “platinum” and so on. But Augsburger says members did not respond well to the concept because it suggested some lawyers might receive better treatment than others. 

In 2019, the OSBA ultimately went with two membership levels. Today, a basic annual membership costs $330, while a “Membership Value+ Plan” for $550 includes unlimited CLE (Ohio lawyers are obligated to complete 24 hours of courses every two years.) The state bar offers discounts to new attorneys as well as senior or retired attorneys, paralegals and legal administrators. 

“I would say it’s been a great success,” Augsburger says of the switch. “For three years now, our membership has been growing or staying steady, which is against the trends for a lot of membership associations. Our members really appreciate the choice, and then the younger members really appreciate the value that we provide to them for a lower cost.” 

At the Cleveland bar, which has about 4,500 members, the pivot has already proven popular with a major constituency: firms that buy memberships in bulk through group agreements. Giving a firm the option of paying a flat, per-person rate can be easier than tallying a different figure for each member, says Farrell, the CMBA chief relationship officer. 

“The people who love this are your accountants, administrators, COOs,” she says. “The simplicity and all-in-one nature of BarOne are huge selling points for firms that need straightforward pricing and comprehensive offerings.” Colleagues at the Akron Bar Association hope law firms in their market have a similar response as they continue rolling out a new membership model, “A+,” which likewise moves away from add-on fees. 

The new package offers members uncapped CLE and self-study courses, unlimited section memberships and inclusion in the bar’s referral service. Lawyers with five years or more of experience pay the highest annual rate, $495, while lawyers with two years or less in the field pay $195 and retirees pay $200. 

As part of the push, Akron bar officials will make an introductory offer to firms with existing group agreements under the old model, says Executive Director C. Allen Nichols. The Akron bar will provide them with “A+”-level perks for one year at no additional cost, he says. 

“We want everyone to be able to taste ‘A+’ and to see what benefits they can get from it. And then it’s our job over the next year to prove to them that ‘A+’ is worth it so that we can slowly get their fees to what they should be,” Nichols says. 

Persuading senior lawyers to stay involved has not been difficult, say officials with the bar associations interviewed for this article. Eighty-six percent of voluntary state and local bars offer discounted rates or waive costs to emeritus or retired members, according to the Benchmarks report.

“They’re still involved in sections, they’re still coming to events, they’re still teaching CLEs, and we try to partner them with young lawyers so they can exchange ideas with each other,” the OSBA’s Augsburger says. 

Subscriptions Over Membership 

It is the younger demographic that is considered more elusive, even as bar associations nurture ongoing relationships with law schools. 

Dean Martinez, the CEO of Chicago-based DRI, a national organization for civil-defense lawyers, for the past few years has been studying the challenges facing bar associations. He says the solution to attracting young people may be found in the way they subscribe prolifically to services and platforms like Amazon and Netflix while not necessarily considering themselves “members” of anything. 

“What’s important for us to understand is that they see value in it. They use it on a regular basis,” Martinez says. Even if they can get young lawyers through the door, says the Akron bar’s Nichols, organizations will be obligated to continually prove their worth by staying on top of issues and trends that are vital to their careers. 

“If we are relevant, they’ll renew their membership. They’ll join. The word will spread,” he says. “If we’re not, they won’t.” 

Mike Ramsey is a Chicago-based freelance writer.