New York City Bar Revamps Membership Model to Include Free Education (Associations Now)
Associations Now, June 11, 2018
New York City Bar Revamps Membership Model to Include Free Education
“’The New York City Bar is always looking for ways to enhance our member benefits and to engage the legal community here—that’s always on our mind,’ said Executive Director Bret Parker. ‘As we’re always looking for ways to do that, one area that came to mind was continuing legal education.’ As the business dynamics surrounding CLE have changed over the years, the New York City Bar felt it was time to reevaluate its offerings. For instance, the group found that some lawyers were accessing CLE elsewhere, while other segments of attorneys were finding CLE not only someplace else but also for free. ‘We didn’t want the cost to be an obstacle to them coming here,’ Parker said. ‘Parts of the profession, frankly, were having trouble paying for it. We wanted to make sure that we serve the whole profession here and that we weren’t inadvertently making it tougher for different segments of our membership to participate in the life of the New York City Bar.’ Starting in September, for members who fall into certain categories—including lawyers who are practicing in their first two years, government lawyers, nonprofit lawyers, in-house counsel, and judges and their staff—CLE programs of four hours or less will be included in the price of membership.”
