Bar Associations - Revenue vs. Members

My Shingle has an interesting blog post on Bar Associations providing links to attorney websites not by quality or need, but based upon fees paid to the Bar Association. While I do not have a problem with Bar Associations charging for advertising, the advertising should be clearly marked as such.

A bigger concern is Bar Associations that choose revenue over the interests of their own members or the general public. In the area of Continuing Legal Education (CLE), for instance, Bar Associations must be extra careful in promoting their own CLE programs. Bar associations must try to offer their members the best and broadest CLE offerings at the most affordable cost. Bar Associations should use online CLE to showcase their OWN state's lawyers. While buying canned online CLE presentations from out of state lawyers may increase revenue, it does a grave disservice to the members of the Bar and to the public.

Bar Associations should go even further by offering online CLE programs to the public for free. Such offering would not diminish the revenue stream. Offering free online CLE to the public helps the public learn more about the law. If the CLE showcased Bar Association members, the program would also foster goodwill and familiarize the public with attorneys of their own state. Offering CLE only from out of state attorneys gives the impression their are no local attorneys capable of handling things.

Limiting competition, shunning their own attorneys and gouging customers may translate into short term revenue increases for a Bar association. In the long term, however, such actions cannot help but translate into a strong disdain for the Bar, by both its members and the public. A backlash, in the form of precipitously dropping revenue, cannot help but be the result.

What percentage of online CLE offered by your Bar association is provided by attorneys from your own state?

Brett Trout

Bar Association continuing legal education online CLE law attorney lawyer

Online Legal Ethics - National CLE

Strafford legal teleconference presentations is offering a national CLE teleconference Thursday, December 14, 2006 from noon to approximately 1:30pm CST. The conference is entitled Ethical Risks of Law Firm Websites and Blogs: Staying on the Right Side of the Ethics Line. The panel of speakers includes:

Benjamin Cowgill, Counselor and Attorney at Law, Lexington, Kentucky, focuses his career in the field of legal ethics. He is the former Chief Bar Counsel for the Kentucky Bar Association and a well-known presenter of CLE programs on various aspects of law office technology, including ethical considerations. Mr. Cowgill can be reached via email at ben@cowgill.com.

John Steele, Ethics and Conflicts Director and Special Counsel, Fish & Richardson P.C., Silicon Valley, is responsible for resolving firm wide issues related to conflicts of interest and ethics particular to IP practice. He regularly lectures on legal ethics at law schools throughout California. Mr. Steele can be reached via email at jsteele@fr.com.

Brett J. Trout, Law Offices of Brett J. Trout, P.C., Des Moines, Iowa, represents clients in patent, trademark information technology issues. He is the former president of the Iowa Intellectual Property Association and author of the book, Internet Laws Affecting Your Company. Mr. Trout can be reached via email at trout@bretttrout.com.

Brett Trout

Other Related Topics:
Blawg, Blog Ethics, Cowgill, Legal Ethics, Blog CLE

Brett Trout Speaking in Des Moines

Are you planning on being in Iowa or the Des Moines area Thursday or Friday of this week?

Are you interested in Internet related legal issues? Do you travel the country stalking patent lawyers at speaking engagements? Well this is your week. I will be speaking in West Des Moines tomorrow at 2:45pm to the Iowa Society of Association Executives. The topic will be Top Ten Internet Mistakes that Can Shut Down Your Association’s Website. I ran across a related topic on Rush Nigut's website today entitled five ways to avoid lawsuits against your business. Good stuff!

I will be speaking in downtown Des Moines Friday at 11:15am to the Polk County Bar Association. The topic will be YBlawg: Why legal clients love blogs. For more information, or to obtain a guest invitation to either event, please contact me. Hope to see you there!

Brett Trout

Other Related Topics:
Brett Trout, Associations, CLE, Iowa, Des Moines