Welcome to your inaugural edition of SBMbenefits, a new quarterly newsletter about the new educational and professional tools and savings available to you as a member of the State Bar of Michigan. We'll inform you of new savings, tools you can use to make being a lawyer more efficient and fulfilling and webinars to expand your technology and practice management skill set. We'll even throw in special travel opportunities so that when your hard work pays off, you can play as hard as you've worked. Go on? Well, OK then …

O-M-10Gs
You may be going paperless as much as possible these days, but still have to ship all kinds of things.

So why not save money on your shipping and earn free rewards for your loyalty with FedEx.

As a SBM member, you can enroll in the FedEx Advantage program and enjoy discounts up to 26% on FedEx services. Save money and have more cash in your pocket.

In-Credible!
Credit cards can keep you up … but student loans can really get you down!

We've got good news for you.

No—we're not going to pay your bills. But we have joined with Credible, a multi-lender marketplace that will allow you to receive competitive loan offers from vetted lenders and find a student loan refinancing program that works for you.

To learn more visit www.credible.com.

Here's a tip …
Did you know you get access to Casemaker legal research for free just because you are a member of the State Bar of Michigan?

Your colleagues who use Casemaker tell us it is easy to use and saves them hundreds of dollars in legal research fees.

Check it out today. Here's some helpful tips to have you up and running in just a few minutes.

Want to move on, up, or over?
Employers visiting the State Bar of Michigan website could be looking at your résumé on the SBM Career Center right now. But not if it's not there. What are you waiting for?

After uploading your awesome updated résumé, don't just leave the site. Search jobs posted by employers on the Career Center. Sign up for job alerts, so that next time a job that meets your standards is posted you'll be the first to know.

Don't ghost your business line
Letting calls go to voice mail when you don't recognize the number on caller ID—"I've never even heard of Stone Mountain, Georgia!"—may be an acceptable screening strategy in your personal life. It's probably not an optimal way to manage your business line.

Ruby Receptionists has a better idea. They'll answer your firm's calls on your behalf seven days a week … live. So if a current or future client rings you on a Sunday at 8:55 p.m., Ruby will handle it while you badger your kids to stop texting and finish their homework because they always wait until the last minute and don't make me come up there because "The Walking Dead" is about to start. (Just a hypothetical situation, but you get the idea.) You can learn more about Ruby—and there's a lot more—at www.callruby.com/sbm.

Lawyers love their books
We're the ones who've had our noses in a book ever since first grade, or before. Libraries have a warm place in our hearts. And the State Bar has a special place for you to browse and find just what you need to improve your practice—the SBM Practice Management Resource Center free digital library. You can check out digital versions of technology and practice management books. Now the library has expanded to include substantive law titles, including the "Nutshell" series, a compact group of guides that explain the most important issues of law, highlighting key cases and statutes.

Risk e-business
There's no sugar-coating it; it's a very scary cyber world. According to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, over half of reported data breaches from 2012 to 2016 occurred because of hacking, malware infections, or mobile devices that were stolen or lost.

You can reduce your risk of these dangers by using a business-level e-mail service with antispam and malware protection, having e-mail encryption available for clients to use, and archiving e-mail with a service that has legal hold, search, and recovery. And luckily for you, SBM partners with Greenview Data to help you secure your business gmail, Outlook, or Exchange e-mail applications.

There is such a thing as free education
Make a plan to put down that mesmerizing smart phone on your next lunch hour. No texting. No playing with SnapChat filters or running Amazon errands. Instead, reserve that time to learn something new. The next webinar, Top 10 Apps for Lawyers, is Wednesday, April 19, presented by Brett Burney.

SBM partner MyCase does a fantastic free webinar at least once a month. Their most recent webinar, "What can law practice management software do for you?" took place on March 8 and was taught by Red Cave Law Firm Consulting founder and attorney—and the biggest "Lost" fan we've ever met—Jared Correia. You can access the recording and materials from that webinar and other previous webinars on the MyCase blog.

Treat Yo' Self
You work hard. We know you do. So why not play as hard as you work? After all, you can't have the hop if you don't have the hip.

SBM and our travel partner, Go Next, can help you there by offering you discounts on travel opportunities. You can island hop through Greece, cruise the Mexican coast, or tour the great capitals of Europe. Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage.