Jan. 19, 2022 – Here’s how to ensure you are taking advantage of all the savings benefits available to you through your State Bar membership – which aim to make life easier for you both in and out of your office. Take a look at these benefits and discounts – including a new discount on pet insurance.

And if you haven’t discovered the savings programs, now is the time to take a look and see what you may be missing.

Members Benefits that Boost Your Practice

Every day, you face diverse and unique challenges in the practice of law. To help you answer those challenges, take advantage of your State Bar membership to access the resources, information, and insights you need. Here are a few benefits you should know about:

New: State Bar Members Offered Discount on Pet Insurance

In a new discount program in partnership with the State Bar, the ASPCA Pet Health Insurance program provides State Bar members with up to a 10 percent discount on plan premiums.

ASPCA Pet Health Insurance reimburses up to 90 percent of covered costs, and you can customize your coverage to fit your needs and budget. ASPCA also provides a multiple pet discount which can be combined with the 10% member discount for each pet enrolled after the first.

The ASPCA Pet Health Insurance program furthers the mission of its strategic partner, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA®), by helping pet parents afford quality veterinary care so their pets can live longer, healthier lives.

For more information, visit aspcapetinsurance.com/wisbar or (877) 343-5314 and use priority code WISBAR to take advantage of your member discount.

Law office management:Practice411, the State Bar’s law office management assistance program assists lawyers in improving their efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of legal services and in implementing systems and controls to reduce risk and improve client relations. It offers resources to help lawyers manage the business aspects of their practices, including the use of technology; business and financial planning; and personnel, facilities, and operations management.

Lawyer assistance program. The State Bar’s Wisconsin Lawyers Assistance Program (WisLAP) is a confidential peer-support program with approximately 150 volunteer lawyers and judges trained to offer support and guidance to lawyers, judges, law students, and their families. Reach out to WisLAP by calling (800) 543-2625 or visiting wisbar.org/wislap.

Legal research help: State Bar members have access to Fastcase for legal research. Also, check out the Law Librarian research guides, a monthly column in InsideTrack written by members of the Law Librarians Association of Wisconsin (LLAW). To see a list ​of these columns, search on WisBar for the keyword “LLAW” and site source InsideTrack (or click the link here). This will get you a quick list and help you boost your research.

State Bar Ethics Hotline: Get answers to your legal dilemmas by contacting the State Bar’s two full-time ethics counsel, Aviva Kaiser and Tim Pierce. They are available to guide you in resolving questions regarding Wisconsin’s Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys. They also release monthly articles addressing ethical dilemmas, like this one in WisBar InsideTrack on when ​hitting "Reply All" in an email violates ethics rules.

State Bar publications to keep you up-to-date: Find legal news, analysis by Wisconsin lawyers, and court and legislative updates in Wisconsin Lawyer^™ magazine, WisBar’s home page news, InsideTrack^™, section and division blogs, Rotunda Report, WisLawNOW, and the State Bar’s social media platforms. Also, check out the Official Notices of Wisconsin Supreme Court and State Bar of Wisconsin Rules and Bylaws.

CaseLaw Express: This weekly update of new Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of Appeals decisions, delivered to your email every Monday, keeps you informed and saves you time.

For guidance and mentorship: Explore the Lawyer-to-Lawyer Directory and the Ready.Set.Practice. Mentoring Program.

Membership Discount Programs That Help Save You Money

State Bar membership also helps you with your practice – and in your life outside the office. See the list on WisBar’s Member Benefit Discounts page, which is sorted by category.

For instance, with your membership you can find discounts for running your office, such as 10 percent discount on the monthly subscription to MyCase, 50 percent off air shipping and 30 percent off ground shipping with UPS, 22 percent savings on Verizon corporate monthly plan access fees, and discounts through the Office Depot Partner Program.

Save 25 percent on credit card processing fees via LawPay, receive discounts on practice software platforms like CLIO and Tabs3, and gain access to Patriot Payroll software.  You can also get 20 percent off flowers and gift baskets from 1-800-Flowers.

In addition, your membership allows your firm to join the State Bar group health plan for law firms – for some, at a substantial savings from their previous plans. There’s more for you and your firm: check out discounts on insurance plans covering life, long-term care and long-term disability, professional liability, property & casualty insurance for your firm, and more.