Maryland State Bar Association

Terms & Conditions

MSBA Membership Benefits

	Standard Membership Benefits
Benefit	Description	Annual Value
Premium Content, Resources, & Tools	AI Resource & Learning Hub, Exclusive member white papers and publications (e.g., Guide to Maryland Courts & Agencies, Closing a Law Firm, Playbook for Newly Minted General Counsels, etc.) Decisis (a leading legal research database powered by LexisNexis) Smokeball Legal Billing Software (powerful billing software to make sure you collect what you’ve earned and stay compliant) & more.	$2,500
Specialized Communities	Access to two (2) Practice Area Sections or Affinity Groups to build your network and leverage connections throughout your career.	$40
Elite Learning Library	Complimentary access to accredited CLE of 90 minutes or less from our On-Demand Learning digital library. MSBA CLEs are accredited in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware (transferable to nearly any jurisdiction).	$300+
Premier Legal Gatherings	Enjoy member-preferred pricing on all events and CLEs throughout the year.	$100+
Expert Written Publications	Enjoy member-preferred pricing on over 30 treatises and coursebooks drafted by experts from across Maryland.	$100+
A Powerful Voice	MSBA is your active advocate in Annapolis, successfully defeating taxes on legal services and fighting for judicial security. We handle the legislative heavy lifting so you can focus on your clients.	Priceless
Professional Resilience	Support for you and your team—The Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP) offers free, confidential counseling and wellness resources. From stress management to succession planning, we are here to support the person behind the practitioner.	Priceless
Build Your Personal Brand	Grow your personal brand through various leadership opportunities with MSBA sections, committees, and the Board of Governors. Showcase your knowledge by submitting articles and program ideas.	Priceless
Total value of MSBA Standard Membership		$3040+
	Passport includes the Standard benefits listed above and the additional benefits listed below:
Expanded Digital Learning	Complimentary access to MSBA's On-Demand Learning digital library and live, virtual CLE. Certain Premium CLE and events are excluded. *See Passport Terms & Conditions, & Exclusions for more information.	$500
Unlimited Community Access	Unlimited Practice Area Sections	$40+
Complimentary Access to Live In-person Events & Learning	Complimentary access to MSBA’s Legal Summit & Annual Meeting, complimentary access to two (2) live in-person events or CLE (Advanced Institutes and Solo & Small Firm Symposium included). Certain Premium CLE & Events are excluded. *See Passport Terms & Conditions, & Exclusions for more information.	$900
Total Value of MSBA Passport Membership		$4,480+
	Compare Standard to Passport

Membership Refund Policy

MSBA membership is non-refundable, with limited exceptions. Members may receive a refund for a membership if they provide notice within fourteen (14) days of purchase, provided the membership was processed via autopay.

*Passport Terms, Conditions, & Exclusions

The MSBA Passport is valid for twelve (12) months from the date of purchase and will match your membership renewal period.
New members may upgrade their standard membership to a Passport membership within the first thirty (30) days of joining. Renewing members who choose standard membership have 30 days from their stated renewal date to upgrade to the MSBA Passport and receive credit for their already paid membership dues. The Passport shall be valid for any time remaining before the next stated renewal date.
A member seeking to upgrade to a Passport membership from a standard membership more than 30 days after the stated renewal date will not receive credit for the standard membership dues already paid, and will be required to pay the full price of the MSBA Passport. The MSBA Passport will be valid for a full 12 months from the date of purchase, and the member’s new stated renewal date will align with the MSBA Passport expiration date.
MSBA Passport is valid for one (1) year of membership in the MSBA and includes membership in all Sections selected at the time of purchase. A Passport member is eligible to join all Sections.
MSBA Passport membership must be purchased online and will be automatically renewed at the end of the term unless you cancel it.
You will receive a standing renewal notice for your MSBA Passport when you log in to your MSBA member account and via email at least three (3) days before it auto-renews.
Ownership of the MSBA Passport is not transferable. Only the MSBA Passport owner may use the MSBA Passport to access its benefits.
MSBA Passport members may not share, display, forward, sell, reproduce, or distribute by any means, any MSBA content or link(s) to MSBA content that is accessed with the MSBA Passport.
MSBA Passport membership may be used by the owner to access only one (1) Legal Summit and Annual Meeting per annual valid Passport purchase period.
MSBA Passport members must register for all events, including continuing legal education (CLE) programs, to gain access to in-person meetings and online content. Showing up to an event without being registered will subject the MSBA Passport owner to a fee.
* The MSBA Passport grants the owner membership to all Sections, complimentary access to MSBA's On-Demand Learning digital library and live, virtual CLE, and up to two (2) live in-person events or CLE programming (including Advanced Institutes and Solo & Small Firm Symposium). Certain premium or multiday events or CLE programs are excluded from use of the MSBA Passport, including but not limited to: 40-Hour Basic Mediation Training, 20-Hour Divorce Mediation Seminar, Advanced Tax Institute, Deposition Practice and Procedure, Maryland Trial Advocacy Institute, MSBA Professional Excursion(s), Destination CLE events, invitation-only events, and charity and fundraising events. MSBA reserves the right to amend this list as needed.
Questions related to the MSBA Passport should be emailed to [email protected].

Programs and Events Refund Policy

1. Standard Program Refund Policy

Applies to regular full-day and half-day programs, unless otherwise stated on the registration page. No-shows for Standard Programs will receive course materials in full consideration of tuition.

Cancellation Timeline	Refund / Policy Outcome
14+ Days Before Event (by 12:00 p.m.)	Full Refund
After 14-Day Cut-off	Refund minus $50 administrative fee
No-Show / Failure to Cancel	No Refund; registrant will receive all course materials following the program.

2. Specialty Program Refund Policy

Applies to: 40-Hour Basic Mediation Training, 20-Hour Divorce Mediation Training, and the Legal Summit & Annual Meeting.

Cancellation Timeline	Refund / Policy Outcome
14+ Days Before Event (by 12:00 p.m.)	Full Refund
Between 13 Days and 4 Days Before	Refund minus $150 administrative fee
Within 3 Days of Event	No Refund (See specific program details below)

3. Special Conditions for Cancellations Within Three (3) Days:

Mediation Trainings (40-Hour/20-Hour): You will be automatically added to the roster of the next available instance of that same training.
Legal Summit & Annual Meeting: You will be granted access to the conference app to view all session materials and recordings.

Important Notes:

Fee Adjustments: The MSBA reserves the right to adjust administrative fees associated with the specialty program refund policy.
Cut-off Times: All deadlines refer to 12:00 p.m. (noon) local time on the date specified.

4. MSBA Professional Excursions

Policy Cancellation and refund terms for Professional Excursions are administered and publicized on a case-by-case basis. Please refer to the specific excursion registration page for details.

Publications Shipping/Return/Refund Policy

The MSBA goal is to have all publications shipped within ten (10) business days of purchase. Shipping time can be impacted by supply chain issues, so this shipping period may vary and is not guaranteed. Our printing and fulfillment vendor notifies customers of the status of their purchases. MSBA may issue a refund, credit, or exchange for all bound book purchases in resalable condition if returned within 30 days of receipt. MSBA does not accept returns for bound, shrink-wrapped publications or bound supplemental material/updates that have been opened. The MSBA does not refund electronic publications that have been downloaded.

To initiate a return or refund, please contact MSBA by email at [email protected] or call (410) 685-7878, ext. 3062 or ext. 3063. Our membership team will confirm the approved refund amount and provide instructions for returning the product. Refunds will be issued when a product is returned and received in salable condition, less the amount of the original shipping and handling charges paid. Customers bear the cost of return shipment charges.

MSBA’s Privacy Policy

The Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA) exists to serve legal professionals with leadership, education, professional development, networking, and advocacy opportunities. We understand that you are aware of and care about your own personal privacy interests, and we take that seriously. This privacy policy describes our policies and practices regarding the collection and use of your personal data, and sets forth your privacy rights. We recognize that information privacy is an ongoing responsibility, and we will continue to update this privacy policy as we adopt new personal data practices or new privacy policies.

Applicability and Eligibility

This privacy policy applies to our collection, use, disclosure, and protection of your data. It does not apply to third-party websites, applications, or services. Before accessing, using, or interacting with our services, carefully review the terms and conditions of this privacy policy.

Collection and Use of Personal Information

We collect personal information about our members and other customers. This information includes, but is not limited to, first name, last name, job title, employer name, work address, work email, and work phone number. This information is used to provide members and customers with goods and services, including membership services, event notifications, training, and more. We do not sell personal information to anyone and only share it with third parties who are facilitating the delivery of our services.

Membership

When you become a member, we collect information about you, including (but not limited to) your name, your employer’s name, your work address, and your email address. We may also collect your personal email address, a personal mailing address, and a mobile phone number. Membersmay voluntarily provide additional information in their membership profile, such as information about their educational background, number of years in the industry, practice areas, and the like. Members may edit their profiles at any time to change, add, or remove personal information.

We process your personal information for membership administration, to deliver member benefits, and to inform you of our events, content, and other benefits or opportunities associated with your membership. We may also use this information to better understand our members’ needs and interests and tailor our products and services to meet them.

Events and Webinars

We host events throughout the year, including our annual and mid-year meetings, excursions, Section meetings, webinars, in-person and livestream educational seminars, video replays, on-demand programs, and networking events (collectively “events”). If you are a member and register for one of our events, we will access the information in your member account to provide you with event-related information and services. If you are not a member and register for one of our events, we will collect your name and contact information, which we will store in our database and use to provide you with information and services related to the event. If you are a presenter at one of our events, we will collect information about you, including your name, employer, contact information, and photograph, and we may also collect information provided by event attendees who evaluated your performance as a presenter. As an attendee, speaker, or sponsor/exhibitor, we will keep a record of your participation to provide you with post-event information, including details on upcoming events you may be interested in.

Publications

In addition to producing original content, we also use news feeds and other people's blogs, which we might link to on our website. This means you may find yourself on our website or reading an email where we will offer you a link to another organization’s website for additional relevant content. At these times, you will be leaving our website. We are not responsible or liable for content provided by these third-party websites or personal information they may happen to gather from you.

You may wish to subscribe to some of our publications without becoming a member. To receive our content by email, you will need to create a profile with us, which involves providing us with at least your first name and last name, an email address, and the country in which you live. We do not share this information with any third party, except to store it in our database.

You may manage your subscriptions by subscribing or unsubscribing at any time. If you have any difficulties managing your email or other communication preferences, please contact us at [email protected].

Correspondence Information

If you correspond with us by email, the postal service, or other form of communication, we may retain such correspondence and the information contained in it and use it to respond to your inquiry; to notify you of our conferences, publications, or other services; or to keep a record of your complaint, accommodation request, etc. Users may opt out of receiving certain communications by following the unsubscribe process described in an email communication or by contacting our office directly.

Access to Your Information

Certain tools and settings are provided to help you access, correct, delete, or modify your personal information. We welcome you to contact us regarding the information we have collected about you, including the nature and accuracy of the data collected about you, to request an update, modification, or deletion of your information, to opt out of certain services, or to withdraw any consent you may have granted. Please note that if you choose to delete your information or opt out of the collection and use of your information, certain features may no longer be available to you.

Purposes for Processing Your Data

As explained above, we process your data to provide you with the goods or services you have requested or purchased from us, including membership services, events, publications, and other content, certification, and training. We use this information to refine our goods and services to better tailor them to your needs and to communicate with you about other services we offer that may assist you in your career or otherwise help you to advance your career.

Payment Information

We may collect and store information related to purchases if you choose to purchase goods and services from us. You may provide certain information to complete payments, including your credit or debit card number, card expiration date, CVV code, and billing address (collectively, “Payment Information”), along with your name and billing and shipping address, to complete payment transactions. Per PCI Compliance, we do not accept credit card information via email. Credit card information received via fax, phone, or mail is entered into a secure system and then deleted and destroyed.

Website Usage

As is true of most other websites, our website collects certain information automatically and stores it in log files. The information may include internet protocol (IP) addresses, the region or general location where your computer or device is accessing the internet, browser type, operating system, and other usage information about the use of our website, including a history of the pages you view. We use this information to help us design our site to better suit our users’ needs. We may also use your IP address to help diagnose problems with our server and to administer our website, analyze trends, track visitor movements, and gather broad demographic information to assist us in identifying visitor preferences. Our website also uses cookies and web beacons. It does not track users when they cross to third-party websites or provide targeted advertising to them, and therefore does not respond to Do Not Track (DNT) signals.

Sharing Information

Information about your purchases is maintained in association with your membership or profile account.

We do not otherwise reveal your personal data to third parties for their independent use unless: (1) you request or authorize it; (2) it is in connection with any of our events as described above; (3) the information is provided to comply with the law (for example, to comply with a search warrant, subpoena, or court order), enforce an agreement we have with you, or to protect our rights, property, or safety, or the rights, property, or safety of our employees or others; (4) the information is provided to our agents, vendors, or service providers who perform functions on our behalf; (5) to address emergencies or acts of God; and (6) to address disputes, claims, or to persons demonstrating legal authority to act on your behalf.

Our website uses interfaces with social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and others. If you choose to "like" or share information from our website through these services, you should review the privacy policy of that service. If you are a member of a social media site, the interfaces may allow the social media site to connect your site visit to your personal data.

Member Directory

Members are allowed to share their information through our Member Directory with other members using this site. Members are invited to opt in to having their information shared in the Member Directory. Member information will only be shared in the Member Directory if the member has opted in to sharing such information.

Changes and Updates to the Privacy Policy

By using this site, you agree to the terms and conditions contained in this privacy policy. As our organization, membership, and benefits change from time to time, this privacy policy is expected to change as well. We reserve the right to amend the privacy policy at any time, for any reason, without notice to you, other than the posting of the amended privacy policy on our website. We may email periodic reminders of our notices and terms and conditions, and will email members of material changes.

Photo/Audio/Video Release

By registering for or attending an MSBA Event, you acknowledge and consent to be recorded or photographed and authorize MSBA to use your image and/or likeness, personal characteristics, and any other proprietary and publicity rights for any such purposes without the requirement of further notice, royalty, payment, or other compensation to or consent from you. This includes photographs, video, recordings, screenshots, written text or verbal comments/questions on the virtual platform, social media or emails (“Recording(s)”). By registering for or attending an MSBA Event, you also acknowledged that all Recordings are the property of MSBA.

We reserve the right to use any Recording taken at our Events, without the expressed written permission of those included within the Recording. We may use the Recording in publications or other media material produced, used or contracted, including, but not limited to: brochures, invitations, books, newspapers, magazines, television, websites, social media, emails, etc. Consenting to Recording includes the use, editing, copying, publishing, and/or exhibition of the Recordings, which may include your voice, name, and/or likeness, in any and all forms of media.

You release the MSBA from any and all claims or liability arising out of the use of your image and/or likeness for the purposes stated above. If you do not wish to be photographed or recorded, please notify an MSBA staff member or the event photographer upon arrival at the event.

Outside or Third-Party Recording of Any MSBA Event Prohibited

The use of any third-party recording devices or applications (examples: Otter a.i., or Fireflies a.i.) is prohibited in any events, CLE programs, or meetings. Anyone using them will be asked to refrain, and if the recording continues, will be removed from the event.

MSBA Accessibility Policy

The Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA) is committed to making its online and in-person services, products, events, and CLE programs accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. Examples of accommodations that could be provided include, but are not limited to, making course outlines and materials available in electronic formats, providing recordings of programs or events, and providing ASL interpreters. To request an accommodation, please complete this form. Once you’ve registered, our staff will contact you to arrange an accommodation plan.

Website

Our ongoing accessibility efforts include working toward conforming to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1, level AA criteria.

Website Feedback

Your feedback is valuable in making accessibility improvements and identifying potential barriers across our website. Should you experience any issues or have ideas related to site accessibility, please email [email protected] .

Measures Being Taken to Improve Accessibility

Regular review of design and coding of our website for accessibility improvements.
Integrating accessibility into our procurement practices
All live CLE webcasts now offer closed captioning and transcripts via Zoom

In-Person Meetings and Events

The MSBA aims to host in-person events, meetings, and CLE programs that enable all individuals to participate fully and equally. Please let us know as early as possible if there are reasonable accommodations that would allow you to participate more fully. Again, to request an accommodation, please complete this form.

Code of Conduct

MSBA Event Code of Conduct

By registering for or attending the event, you agree to comply with this Code of Conduct at all times during the event and any event-related gatherings. Anyone who does not comply with the Code of Conduct will be removed from the event.

MSBA leadership and staff are committed to providing a safe, productive, welcoming, and vibrant learning environment to all participants, including staff and vendors, at all of our events. We welcome people from as many diverse backgrounds as possible. We are committed to providing a respectful, harassment-free experience for everyone. We welcome all participants regardless of race, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ability, nationality, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or belief system. We have no tolerance for discrimination, harassment, or bullying in any form at an event for any reason, including on account of a person’s age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religion, gender, sexual or affectional orientation, gender identity, appearance, matriculation, political affiliation, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Participants are expected to adhere to these principles and respect the rights of others.

MSBA extends its sincere appreciation to our community for fostering an environment that is consistently positive, collegial, and supportive. This collective commitment to excellence is a primary factor in the continued success and appeal of our annual events

Consistent with these values, all MSBA Event participants—including staff, supporters, volunteers, attendees, and speakers—are expected to adhere to the following standards of conduct:

Exercise consideration and respect in your speech and actions.
Keep conversations professional, respectful, and considerate of other parties’ points of view. While the MSBA recognizes that vigorous debate is often essential for problem-solving and addressing complex inquiries, participants must ensure that discussions remain focused on substantive issues rather than personal attributes.
Remember that the boundaries of good taste, humor, personal space and physical interaction differ from person to person. Participants are expected to remain cognizant of social cues and respect the boundaries of others, regardless of whether such boundaries are explicitly articulated.
Refrain from any form of demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior. Prohibited conduct includes, but is not limited to:

The use of language or humor that is demeaning or discriminatory based on race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic.
Physical or verbal harassment, including, but not limited to, physical intimidation, stalking, or the sustained disruption of presentations and scheduled programming..
The dissemination or display of sexually explicit or violent material. Should such materials be required for a legitimate educational purpose, participants must obtain prior authorization from MSBA staff to ensure appropriate disclaimers are issued to participants.
Unwelcome sexual attention. This includes sexualized commentary or jokes; inappropriate physical contact, and any form of unsolicited sexual advances.
Advocating for, or encouraging, any conduct that violates these established standards.

MSBA Equity Diversity & Inclusivity Plan

MSBA Hardship/Scholarship Policy

For CLE programming, the MSBA offers a hardship application that is reviewed by the CLE committee, similar to the hardship application that is considered by the Board of Governors when a member requests a reduction or waiver of membership dues. The MSBA Legal Summit and Annual Meeting is excluded from the hardship policy. Additional programs that are exempt from a hardship waiver or discount are the same programs that are exempt from the MSBA Passport membership, which include, but are not limited to: 40-Hour Basic Mediation Training, 20-Hour Divorce Mediation Seminar, Advanced Tax Institute, Deposition Practice and Procedure, Maryland Trial Advocacy Institute, MSBA Professional Excursion(s), Destination CLE events, invitation-only events, and charity and fundraising events. MSBA reserves the right to amend this list of exclusions to its hardship policy as needed.