ABA President Bob Carlson. Photo: David Handschuh

The American Bar Association has overhauled its membership structure in a bid to reverse years of declining participation and falling revenue with the changes taking effect May 1.

The intent is to simplify a complex dues structure, reduce costs for members and make the association more relevant to attorneys through targeted content. The ABA hopes to complete renewals under the new structure by September.

ABA leadership signed off on the overhaul last August amid mounting challenges. It has lost about 56,000 dues-paying members in the past 10 years, and fewer than 200,000 of its 424,000 members pay dues. Less than 13 percent of the nation's lawyers are dues-paying members.

The association's general budget declined by 22 percent from 2014 to 2018, and it projected an additional $15 million annual loss in dues revenue last year unless changes were made. The changes are projected to result in short-term financial losses but recovery with membership gains over time.

Annual membership costs will go down for all members, and the savings will be the highest for attorneys in the early stages of their careers. Those with five years or less of experience will pay $75 annually, down from the current range of $146 to $250. Members can access the Law Practice and GP Solo Divisions at no additional cost, but membership in most of the individual sections will cost  $10 to $105 annually. More content on the ABA's website will be restricted to members and members of individual sections, though all members will have access to a library of free CLE courses.

Law.com talked with ABA president Bob Carlson, a partner at Corette Black Carlson & Mickelson in Butte, Montana, about the new structure and why members have been fleeing the group. His answers have been edited for length.

Why do you think ABA membership has been declining? I think that there has been a change across the board with associations — not just the ABA and not just professional associations. We're trying to figure out a way to meet the evolving need of this profession and the changing needs of the next generation of lawyers. It's something we've been looking at for quite a while. We think we've found the right recipe, if you will, to reverse that trend and move forward with a benefits package and membership model that will meet not only the needs of lawyers who have been practicing for 15, 20 years or more, but also those in law school and younger lawyers.

Some critics say membership has been waning because ABA has become too political. What's your response to that? I don't think it has become too political. First, you have to look at where our statements come from. They come from policies that have been developed by our House of Delegates, which has at least three people from each state. We have people in the house who are liberal. We have people who are conservative. Probably most fit into where most people are, which is that middle ground of moderates one way or another.

We do speak out on issues related to due process, the rule of law, an independent judiciary and access to justice. In my mind, those aren't liberal. Those are fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution. We're the perfect organization to speak out on those.

Why should people join the ABA? It sort of depends on who you are and what point you are at in your career. I think the selling point is that people need an association that will speak out on behalf of the profession and on behalf of the judiciary. A lot of people go to law school for that very reason and will gravitate towards an association that has that national voice. Second, our association is designed to make you not only a better lawyer, but really a better person and contributor to society. People look for networking and substantive practice information. By and large, people want an association that speaks with a national voice and stands up not just for the legal profession but for the justice system.

What's the strategy to make the ABA more attractive to younger lawyers? Younger lawyers want to give back. They want to make a difference. So we have plenty of coordinated opportunities to allow them to provide pro bono assistance and get involved in activities to help their communities. We also provide the connectivity that allows them to experience a broad base of legal experts in every field. It gives them a way to connect with their peers and lawyers and judges who are exceptional in their fields.

May 1 is Law Day, and the ABA has selected free speech as its theme. Why? It's definitely timely. We wanted to make sure we have a dialog across the country to tell people how important it is to have not just free speech but a free press, and inform them about what's going on and encourage a civil dialog among people who may have different views. We want to encourage people to listen to each other and respect each other's freedoms under the Constitution.