11/1/06

As a new service, the State Bar of Michigan is offering a pilot program to interested members who would like to participate in a voluntary equal payment plan for paying their State Bar annual membership dues. A recently conducted survey of the SBM membership confirmed that there is an interest in spreading the dues payments over the year to ease the burden of paying State Bar dues in one lump sum.

If you are interested in making your dues payments in equal installments paid in advance of the Bar year, this pilot program works as follows:

• Your annual State Bar of Michigan dues of $315 (comprised of $180 for the State Bar portion, $120 for the Attorney Discipline System, and $15 for the Client Protection Fund) will be divided into four equal payments of $78.75 each.
• All equal payments will be paid in advance of the 2007-2008 Bar year beginning October 1, 2007, in four quarterly installments: December 31, 2006; March 31, 2007; June 30, 2007; and September 30, 2007. You will be asked to provide credit card information to charge the payments each quarter, and you will be notified by e-mail when we charge your credit card.
• After all advance quarterly payments are made for the 2007-2008 Bar year, on October 1, 2007, we will notify you to log onto our e-Commerce website and complete the dues form and all necessary disclosures at that time. You will also be able to make any additional payments for section memberships or other voluntary contributions. The total amount due, less any quarterly payments already made in advance of the dues year, will be charged to your credit card after you complete your dues form online through the e-Commerce website.
• This pilot program requires you to notify the State Bar if your credit card information changes. If your credit card cannot be charged, you will be terminated from the pilot program and provided a refund.
• You may opt out of the pilot program at any time, and we will either apply any advance payments made to your 2007-2008 dues or refund your payment by issuing a credit to your credit card.

We will evaluate whether to make this pilot program a permanent service based on the number of members who participate. If you are interested in this program and would like to participate, please follow the link below before November 15 to sign up to participate in the Equal Payment Plan pilot program. You will receive further instructions after you sign up for the program, including the terms and conditions.