Gavel and block.

Maryland State Bar Association

Terms & Conditions

Membership Refund Policy

Full refund of any membership fee, including the Passport membership, will be made to the purchaser within 30 days of purchase. Passport membership terms and conditions are as follows:

  1. The MSBA Passport is valid for twelve (12) months from the date of purchase. All sales are final and there are no full or partial refunds.
  2. MSBA Passport is valid for one (1) year of membership in the MSBA and up to two (2) Sections selected at time of purchase.
  3. You may select up to two (2) desired Sections at the time of MSBA Passport purchase or renewal. Section selections cannot be changed during the Passport term. Additional Sections are available for purchase, and are priced according to the prevailing Section Dues cost.
  4. The MSBA Passport must be purchased online and will be automatically renewed at the expiration of the term unless canceled by you.
  5. 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.
  6. Ownership of the MSBA Passport is not transferable. Only the MSBA Passport owner may use the MSBA Passport to access its benefits.
  7. MSBA Passport owners 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.
  8. The MSBA Passport may be used by the owner to access only one (1) Legal Summit and Annual Meeting, one (1) Solo Summit, one (1) Legal Excellence Week, and only one (1) of any similarly occurring annual events per annual MSBA Passport purchase.
  9. MSBA Passport owners 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 unregistered will subject the MSBA Passport owner to a fee.
  10. The following Premium CLE programs are excluded from use of the MSBA Passport: 40 hour mediation training, 20 Hour Mediation Training, Advanced Tax Institute, Deposition Practice and Procedure, Maryland Trial Advocacy Institute, MSBA Professional Excursion(s), The Essentials of Maryland Estate and Trust Practice, Destination CLE events, and invitation-only events, such as the Conference of Bar Presidents.
  11. Members who choose standard membership have 90 days from their stated renewal date to upgrade to the MSBA Passport and receive credit for their membership dues already paid. The Passport shall be valid for any time remaining before the next stated renewal date.
  12. A member seeking to upgrade to the MSBA Passport from a standard membership more than 90-days after the stated renewal date, 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.
  13. Questions related to the MSBA Passport should be emailed to [email protected].

Programs and Events Refund Policy

Full refunds will be made to registrants for cancellations received by 12:00 p.m. 2 weeks before the event. If a refund is requested after the 14 days prior to the event 12:00 p.m. cut‐off time, the registrant will be charged a $50 administrative fee. If you register for regular full‐day and half‐day programs, but do not attend or cancel, you will receive the course materials following the program in full consideration of tuition paid. Full refunds for a virtual 40 Hour Basic Mediation Training or 20 Hour Divorce Mediation Training will be accepted by 12:00 p.m. 14 days before the first day of training. If a refund is requested after the cut‐off day/time, the registrant will be charged a $150 administrative fee.

Publications shipping/return/refund policy

The MSBA goal is to have all publications shipped within 3-5 business days of purchase. Shipping time can be impacted by supply chain issues so this shipping period may vary. Customers are notified by our printing and fulfillment vendor 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. We will 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 the MSBA directly by email at [email protected] or call (410) 685-7878, ext. 3062 or ext. 3063. The MSBA will confirm the approved refund amount and provide instructions for the return of 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.

COVID Guidelines & Protocols

The MSBA is committed to holding a safe event for all participants, and is following all CDC, Federal, State, and Local regulations, as well as venue requirements.

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 collection and use of your personal data, and sets forth your privacy rights. We recognize that information privacy is an ongoing responsibility, and so we will continue to update this privacy policy as we undertake new personal data practices or adopt 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. Members may 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 profile 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 help us understand our members’ needs and interests to better tailor our products and services to meet your needs.

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 information and services associated with the event. If you are not a member and you 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 associated with the event. If you are a presenter at one of our events, we will collect information about you including your name, employer and 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.

We reserve the right to use any photograph/video taken at our events, without the expressed written permission of those included within the photograph/video. We may use the photograph/video in publications or other media material produced, used or contracted, including but not limited to: brochures, invitations, books, newspapers, magazines, television, websites, etc. To ensure the privacy of individuals, images will not be identified using full names or personal identifying information without written approval from the photographed subject.

Publications

In addition to producing original content, we also use news feeds and blogs produced by others, which we might link to from 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 other than to store the information 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 are 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 to 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 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. To ensure the privacy of individuals, images will not be identified using full names or personal identifying information without written approval from the photographed subject.

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.) are prohibited in any events, CLE programs or meetings and 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 continuing legal education 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 the following 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 expect our Events to be a respectful, harassment-free environment for people of all races, gender and trans identity, sexual orientation, ability, nationality, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and beliefs. 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.

We’re grateful that our community is positive, friendly and supportive of one another — it’s what makes our events such a draw each year.

In that spirit, the staff, supporters, volunteers, attendees, and speakers at MSBA Events are expected to:

  • Exercise consideration and respect in your speech and actions.
  • Keep conversations professional, respectful, and considerate of other parties’ points of view. In short, don’t make it personal. Passionate conversations are part of solving problems. Disagreements happen all the time and are necessary to consider difficult questions.
  • Remember that the boundaries of good taste, humor, personal space and physical interaction differ from person to person; if you sense someone feels uncomfortable — whether they explicitly state it or not — be respectful of those boundaries.
  • Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior. Harassment and inappropriate behavior may include, but are not limited to:
    • Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic or otherwise discriminatory jokes or language, physical intimidation, stalking or following sustained disruption of talks or events.
    • Posting or displaying sexually explicit or violent material; if for any reason you may need this material for an educational session, please contact MSBA staff first and we can discuss how to give an appropriate warning to participants.
    • Unwelcome sexual attention. This includes sexualized comments or jokes; inappropriate touching, groping and unwelcome sexual advances.
    • Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.

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 programs that are exempt from a hardship waiver or discount are the same programs that are exempt from the Passport membership program, which include 40 Hour and 20 Hour Mediation Trainings, Advanced Tax Institute, the Essentials of Maryland Estate and Trust law, Maryland Trial Advocacy Institute, and Deposition Practice and Procedure.