March 2004

The Benefits of Membership: What Can the WSBA Do for You?

by Carl J. Carlson and Other Members of the WSBA Member Benefits Task Force

If you're like most Washington lawyers, you would be hard pressed to name many (or any) of the benefits and services the WSBA provides to you — despite the best efforts of the WSBA to publicize its programs in Bar News and on its website. There's nothing special about the WSBA in this regard. Think about the other associations you belong to, like the ABA or the American Automobile Association. They each provide a host of programs, discounts, and other bells-and-whistle benefits that most people never use.

Why don't people use association benefits more? Most likely because they can't keep track of what benefits are available. But, even when they do look, the offerings often aren't very useful in the member's day-to-day life.

The WSBA's benefits and services for its members — that's you, gentle reader — are different: they are not bells-and-whistles. The WSBA offers very practical programs that can greatly help a practicing attorney in his or her business and daily life. And, as if that weren't enough to put you on the edge of your seat while reading this, those benefits can all be readily located via the WSBA website (www.wsba.org). So you don't have to remember what they are.

A task force has been working! It has been a priority for recent Boards of Governors to increase the WSBA's usefulness to its members. As part of that effort, in May 2000, the BOG created a Member Benefits Task Force, chaired by Dale Carlisle of Tacoma. Spokane's Joe Nappi has since assumed the chair and has led the task force for the past two years. The task force expects that it will complete its work in 2004.

The BOG charged the task force to review the member benefits the WSBA provides, review what benefits other state bar associations provide, and investigate additional insurance and other programs that might be of value to Washington lawyers.

This article aims to highlight some of the newer benefits and services which the WSBA now provides to Washington lawyers, and to remind WSBA members of other programs that have been around for a longer time. We'll start with the newer programs:

Medical insurance. The task force gathered information from other states, conducted a survey of WSBA members, and reviewed earlier member surveys. The greatest unmet member need clearly was for medical insurance. Individual medical-insurance policies are not only expensive, but they can be hard to get, especially for attorneys or family members with histories of illness, or for attorneys in more rural areas.

Group medical-insurance policies for statewide populations aren't all that easy to get, either. The task force solicited all the major medical-insurance providers for proposals, and received proposals from two providers. On the task force's recommendation, the BOG in May 2002 contracted with Group Health1 to provide a group medical-insurance plan to WSBA members and their families. That plan offers the alternative of either an HMO or a point-of-service plan. Importantly for many Washington lawyers, a "group" can consist of a solo practitioner. Members can review the insurance coverage and benefits available, and get a rate quote, online (go to www.wsba.org, click on the "For Lawyers" tab, then scroll down the right bar to "Health Insurance").

Dental insurance. The new group medical-insurance program includes an option for dental insurance. The dental insurance is available, however, only to groups of three or more.

Long-term-care insurance. The Board of Governors in May 2003 approved a contract for Marsh Affinity Group to design and provide a long-term-care insurance program recommended by the task force. More than one insurance carrier will offer insurance under this program. WSBA members will receive some pricing benefit from being part of a larger group program. This insurance offering is so new that details are not yet available on the WSBA's website (they will be soon). In the meantime, you can get information and an application by calling Deborah Wade or Pam Blake at 800-552-7200.

Automobile insurance. In January the board approved a new member benefit — a sponsored automotive-insurance program through GEICO. Details will follow as they are developed.

Help for the small office: Law Office Management Assistance Program (LOMAP). The WSBA has for several years (predating the task force) offered LOMAP, aimed particularly at solo and small-firm practitioners. LOMAP offers a wealth of resources and expertise on law-office management. At the WSBA office, attorneys can review and borrow materials from a library of law-office-management books, and view a multitude of software programs in action (Abacus Law, Amicus Attorney, TABS III, Practice Master, and others).

LOMAP is also a low-cost consulting service. A LOMAP consultant can work with attorneys onsite or by telephone consultation, to provide general "preventive maintenance" reviews; consultation on specific problems, systems, or procedures; reference materials for office and practice setup; and referrals to outside specialized consultants and vendors.

For more information on LOMAP, contact Pete Roberts at peter@wsba.org or 206-727-8237.

More help for the small office: "Law Office in a Box.™" Working with the task force, LOMAP has assembled, and now offers for sale, a complete package of software sufficient to set up a solo practitioner's law office. (See the article by Pete Roberts on p. 39 of the December 2003 issue of Bar News for a detailed description of the Law Office in a Box program.)

Help for the newer lawyer: Lawyer-to-Lawyer Program. The Lawyer-to-Lawyer Program fosters professionalism among members of the WSBA by helping newer lawyers learn the basics of "lawyering" from more experienced legal practitioners, and bridging the gap between law school and law practice. For more information, contact Pete Roberts, at peter@wsba.org or 206-727-8237.

WSBA credit union. In 2002, at the task force's recommendation, the Board of Governors approved the merger of the WSBA Credit Union with Credit Union Northwest (www.cunw.org), providing members with access to more outlets and ATM machines. All WSBA members and their employees are eligible to join Credit Union Northwest, which offers a variety of financial services, including checking and savings accounts, consumer loans, MasterCard, and IRAs.

Malpractice insurance. The WSBA has for many years sponsored a Lawyers' Professional Liability Insurance Program for members. Marsh & Associates2 serves as the WSBA's broker for that insurance, and administers the program.

In 2002, the existing malpractice insurance carrier withdrew from the market. The task force worked with Marsh & Associates to locate and negotiate new coverage. The WSBA was able to work with the new carrier, Liberty Insurance Underwriters, Inc. (a Liberty Mutual company, rated "A, Excellent" by A.M. Best Co.), to tailor a policy form with excellent terms. You can see a copy of the policy itself, and can complete an application for insurance, online (go to www.wsba.org, click on the "For Lawyers" tab, then scroll down the right bar to "Health Insurance").

Help with daily ethical issues. The WSBA provides two immediate sources of help with ethical questions that you might encounter. WSBA Professional Responsibility Counsel members answer the Ethics Hot Line weekdays during regular business hours, to discuss ethical issues with attorneys. If you need help thinking through an ethical question, call 206-727-8284 or 800-945-WSBA, ext. 8284.

The WSBA has recently added to its website all the WSBA's formal and informal ethics opinions (both published and unpublished) dating back to 1984. (Thanks, WSBA Professional Responsibility Counsel attorney Chris Sutton!) To access those opinions, go to www.wsba.org/lawyers/ethics/about.htm. The ethics opinions are word-searchable, and contain discussions on a multitude of ethical questions that attorneys confront on a daily basis.

Lawyers' Assistance Program (LAP). No discussion of WSBA services would be complete without praising the Lawyers' Assistance Program. LAP on-staff counselors at the WSBA provide confidential assistance with mental/emotional, drug, alcohol, family, health, and other personal problems. The extended staff includes LAP-trained peer counselors, lawyers who are available to support their colleagues through difficult times. LAP organizes or can direct attorneys to support groups and other groups of special interest to lawyers. LAP also offers a lending library of books, and newsletters on topics that include mental health, law practice, substance abuse, and other health issues.

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Carl Carlson is the 7th-Central District member of the WSBA Board of Governors and practices in Seattle. The other members of the Member Benefits Task Force are Joe Nappi (Spokane), Dale Carlisle (Tacoma), Alayne Pettyjohn (Seattle), WSBA President David Savage (Pullman), Jane Savard (Seattle), Anne Spangler (Tacoma), Glen Warren (Yakima), and Barbara Harper (WSBA staff).
 
1 In the few areas of the state not served by Group Health, the WSBA's group medical insurance is provided by in-network providers from Virginia Mason and Everett Clinic. Unfortunately, the WSBA cannot offer its plan in Clark County.

2 Formerly Seabury & Smith, which may be a more familiar name to many WSBA members.