What’s in it for you?
Massachusetts Bar Association Insurance Agency President Terence Welsh and his customer-focused team are prepared to help you develop customized policies to address your professional and personal coverage needs. As an MBA member, you can benefit from insurance designed by lawyers for lawyers. And, you receive exclusive, significant discounts on a variety of plan options.
The MBA Insurance team aims to provide high-quality, competitively-priced products for Massachusetts practitioners so you can more appropriately focus your energy on the practice of law.
To learn more about the following products or others to meet your professional or personal coverage needs, visit the MBA Insurance Web site or call (617) 338-0581 or (413) 788-7878.
• Group Term Life Insurance: In addition to a long-term policy, new members enjoy FREE coverage for the first six months;
• Professional Liability: Not only does this provide comprehensive coverage for you as a practitioner, coverage extends to your role as a board member of a nonprofit organization, if applicable;
• Individual Disability: Through Guardian and MassMutual, “own occupation” definition of disability is available. The contract is guaranteed renewable to age 65 and is fully portable;
• Long-term Care: In addition to coverage for MBA members, it is available to their families on a simplified basis. Also, an unlimited benefits period is a coverage option;
• Health Insurance: Offering a range of coverage options from Tufts, Harvard Pilgrim and Blue Cross Blue Shield; and
• Dental Insurance: Plans are available at competitive prices down to one attorney.
Is your law firm set up to handle credit card payments?
Paying for professional services by credit or debit card is rapidly becoming an expectation of clients. The ability to accept credit card payments improves cash flow and reduces collections. Improve the way you do business by setting up a law firm merchant account and using credit cards to your advantage.
Affiniscape Merchant Solution (AMS) offers a credit card payment processing solution tailored to law firms that safeguards and separates client funds into trust and operating accounts.
MBA members are entitled to exclusive discounts, including:
• Reduced processing fees for certain transactions;
• Waived application and programming fees; and
• A “pay-as-you-go program,” which eliminates a contract term and waives cancellation fees.
If you are considering accepting credit cards or would like to confirm that you are processing credit card transactions correctly, call (866) 376-0950 or visit www.affinitymerchantsolutions.com for more information.
Involved in a fee dispute with your client?
The MBA can help. The MBA’s Fee Arbitration Board program provides voluntary binding arbitration to resolve fee disputes between attorneys and their clients and between attorneys.
Fee arbitration is an ideal alternative to the Small Claims, District or Superior Courts. The arbitrators are volunteer attorneys who are members of the MBA or trained arbitration professionals. The agreement to arbitrate addresses only the issue of the fair and reasonable value of the lawyer’s services.
The FAB provides an invaluable resource by answering questions about legal fee disputes, publishing model fee agreements and promoting healthy communications between attorneys and their clients. Additionally, the FAB published the third edition of Fees & Clients Funds, a great resource for both experienced and newly sworn attorneys.