Photo: David Handschuh/NYLJ

As I am sitting in my office scrolling down the news feed, I keep noticing freshly printed articles about the declines in the bar association membership. "Why now?" I keep thinking to myself. Where were you with this concern when the gap in understanding between the generations wasn't so major?

I then look over to my desk; I see a printed flyer announcement for a bar association event, and I wonder, "How many new attorneys will go to that? And, if they do, why?" I then remember countless conversations I've had with different people, both newly admitted and seasoned attorneys.

Both groups are not blind to the fact that getting new members has become a challenge. However, getting the millennial newly admitted attorneys to join the bar association is taking that challenge to a whole new level.

So What Are We Dealing With Here?

Every conversation about the decline in the bar association membership ends with just that, having a conversation. Some people take it a step further and debate over points of view and state their reasons for the membership decline and lack of new members. The proposed solutions, however, have yet to bring any results. Generally, people agree that belonging to a bar association used to be a tradition and a privilege. Years ago, becoming an attorney almost automatically meant joining the bar association. That's what people just used to do; it was expected; it was the norm.

Especially in a small borough like Staten Island, where people grew up together, went to school and college together, played sports on the same team, graduated law school, became attorneys, and started practicing law together.

It was very natural for them to proceed with joining the same institution/organization. After all, they always did. As time passes by, however, the membership numbers start speaking for themselves. The number of new members, especially newly admitted attorneys, doesn't go up; the number of seasoned members, however, eventually starts going down.

So what do you do with a newly admitted millennial attorney who seems to have come from a different planet altogether with his or her different views and needs and what seems to be a completely different outlook on what it means to belong to an association? Who are these people and how do we interest them to join? How do we bridge the gap between our generations and come to a mutual understanding; perhaps meeting each other halfway? After all, as many people come to finally realize, these new lawyers are the future of the association.

The answer to the puzzle comes in a very mechanical and procedural form, and it includes a few steps. Unlike the prior generation, newly admitted millennial attorneys are a lot more practical than the older generation, and they are not to blame. Understanding that concept leads to the solution. However, connecting with the people of a different mindset begins with opening up your mind first. Now, let's unpack it.

Step 1: Accept Responsibility

The tradition was de-traditionalized by the fact that law schools, bar associations and professional institutions didn't emphasize to the students the importance of belonging to the bar association from the very beginning. Instead, the students were offered different solutions for networking and professional advancement such as Internet job postings or on-line networking.

That only made the gap between the generations bigger since, with the rise of new technological tools, the new lawyers became more and more independent from the traditional ways of becoming successful. As a result, expecting the newly admitted millennial attorneys to magically wake up one day with a need to join something they see no value in is irrational. So what can we do?

Step 2: Sell Them a Smartphone

And I don't mean an actual device, rather a concept of it. A typical practical millennial lawyer wants to know and have a choice regarding what his or her money is being spent on. When buying a piece of technology, such as an IPhone for example, the young generation sees it as a platform or a frame.

In that frame, however, there are lots of applications that carry a specific function. The buyer of an IPhone then downloads those applications (paid or free of charge).

Similarly, the bar association is the platform/ frame. What the bar association offers, however, are the applications/ functions. The millennial new lawyers don't see any value in those functions because everything they need is readily available on the Internet for a much cheaper price than the cost of the membership and comes with no strings attached.

Consequently, the cost of membership has to be justified. Therefore, the bar association membership or "frame" has to include and provide products that appeal to the young generation and justify the cost of the membership. Some seasoned attorneys would argue, "Well, what about simply spending time with the fellow attorneys and catching up?"

Remember, the new lawyers didn't grow up with the older generation, and there is not much to catch up on. The new lawyers may look forward to seeing their fellow new lawyers but that, however, will not fix the bridge between the generations and instead will create a different organization of just the new lawyers altogether.

Then what about professional networking? Again, there are too many options for professional networking events that are free or nearly free and are hosted by professional organizations without any commitments. Instead, the bar association should understand and adapt to the thinking of the new generation and show the value of the "products" the bar association has to offer.

For example, the bar association may create a product like a mentorship program and, using the help of employers and law schools, advertise that program to law students as one of the products included in the cost of the membership. The mentorship program, unlike giving access to CLE for example (which is also a product), provides an individual approach from the seasoned attorneys to the newly admitted attorney that, in turn, bridges the gap.

Even the administration of the mentorship program has to change from anything that has been tried before. Think of all the modern advertisement and how often the marketing campaigns use the word "easy." It's easy to lease or buy a car, open a bank account, switch car insurance. "Easy" is the message that the younger generation was not only constantly hearing while growing up, but now relies on and feels entitled to because it was promised. Consequently, the product has to be modern, easy, quick and convenient to use. While not all the newly admitted millennial attorneys are only interested in buying the "IPhone," those who do comprise a much larger portion of the potential members. It's up to the bar associations to catch up because truth be told, the fast-moving millennial generation is not moving backward; it's only moving forward. Further, it is quickly and inevitably being replaced by another generation of an even quicker moving Generation Z.

Step 3: Change Your Perspective From Liability to Investment

What is the goal of the bar association? As an entity that survives solely on the membership fees, the never-changing goal is to attract new members and maintain the current ones. The goal will never be achieved if the seasoned attorneys view the newly-admitted attorneys as a liability.

"Why do new attorneys get a discount to attend an event? Why do new attorneys need a budget/stipend for events? Why do we need to spend money on the website and marketing to attract more members?" ask some seasoned members. It is a well-known fact that, sometimes, you have to spend money to make money.

Further, everything is a matter of perception. The "liability" viewpoint should be replaced with "investment." The bar association should "invest" in the new lawyers because it is the new lawyers who will eventually continue the legacy if given a chance. Just like a person invests money in his or her education to subsequently make money, the bar association should invest in the products and programs for the new lawyers to ensure that the bar association has members in its future.

The proposed approach is a big change from how the bar associations used to function and what they used to represent. Change is scary for many people, and the questions start pouring into people's minds, such as "what if we try and it doesn't work?" The answer to that question, time after time, will be: "Will anything work if you don't give it a try?"

Elen Krut practices family law in Staten Island.  She is co-chair of the new lawyers committee of the Richmond County Bar Association and serves on its board.

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