May 6, 2009 – The 2009 - 10 State Bar dues and Wisconsin Supreme Court assessments statement will be mailed in mid-May. State Bar dues remain at $224 for active members for the sixth year in a row, and the four court assessments are up $16 for a total of $232.
Supreme court-ordered assessments. The supreme court-ordered fees include assessments supporting the Board of Bar Examiners (BBE), Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR), Public Interest Legal Services Fund, and Wisconsin Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection. The State Bar serves as a pass-through for the court assessments, collecting these fees as part of the dues statement so the members need write only one check.
The fees for full active licenses for lawyers in practice for three or more years include: $18 to the BBE; $148 to the OLR; and $16 to the Wisconsin Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection. The BBE and OLR fees remain unchanged from last year. The Fund for Client Protection is up $16 from $0 last year. The court also assesses all active-licensed attorneys and judicial members $50 for the Public Interest Legal Services Fund, paid to the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation to provide funding for civil legal services for people who cannot afford an attorney.
Dues and assessment rates may vary based on membership classification. Dues and assessments for July 1, 2009 - June 30, 2010, are due to the State Bar by July 1, 2009. Statements will be mailed in mid-May. Please take a moment to verify the State Bar has your current address on file. Visit myStateBar.
State Bar dues-supported programs. State Bar dues support many member and public-focused programs, including practice management assistance, lawyers assistance (WisLAP), ethics guidance, educational and information resources for members and the public, public outreach and access to justice initiatives, legislative advocacy, and more.
“In the last year, the State Bar launched several new member benefits, which provide members access to faster, easier, lower cost legal research and information,” says State Bar Executive Director George Brown. “Members now have free, unlimited access to Fastcase™ legal research, a comprehensive 50-state and federal case-law database.
“Fastcase alone more than pays for the $224 State Bar dues,” says Brown. “This research tool helps Wisconsin lawyers be more efficient in their day-to-day practice by making research tools available that provide access to core legal research that can be used either alone or in conjunction with other premium legal research services.”
“In February the Bar launched this publication, WisBar InsideTrack,” says Brown. InsideTrack reports on developments affecting your practice and profession – from practice management tips to timely insight into legislative, court, and other legal developments, as well as the latest State Bar products and services designed to help you improve your practice.
The State Bar also introduced a new CLE benefit, the Ultimate Pass, offering unlimited access to live, video, webcast, telephone, and OnDemand™ State Bar CLE Seminar-sponsored seminars for one year. “When you purchase the Ultimate Pass, all 90-plus CLE OnDemand titles automatically become available for the duration of your pass,” notes Brown.
“Not only does the Ultimate Pass save you money, it also freezes your continuing legal education costs,” adds Brown. “It gives you tremendous flexibility to choose among great courses without worrying about running up expenses. If you do not need an entire course, you can watch a portion without committing to an entire day.”
“The State Bar also added the power of Google to enable quicker, more relevant search of the vast amount of practice-related information stored on WisBar.org,” he said. “The State Bar will continue to work toward more membership enhancements that will continue to put legal research and practice-related information at your fingertips. While these are the newest benefits the State Bar provides it members, there are many other benefits. Be sure to check them out.”
Following is a comprehensive list of benefits available to State Bar members.
Benefits & services
