General Information
Membership, Dues, Publications, Office Location, etc.
CLASSES OF MEMBERSHIP
Welcome. We have three classes of membership: active, associate and inactive. One is eligible for Active membership when one has been admitted to the NC Bar and has registered with the NC State Bar as either living or working in the 40th Judicial District [comprised of Buncombe County; see also, map of NC Judicial Districts]. One may join our Bar as an Associate if one is licensed in another state or a member of another district in NC. See our Bylaws to learn about Inactive membership status.
HOW TO JOIN
To become a member, fill out the form below or contact the Bar Administrator by telephone 828-252-5733.
MANDATORY DUES
Please return a check made payable to the Buncombe County Bar for your dues when you receive your invoice. Annual Dues are required by law and have been implemented through our local bylaws. See N.C.G.S. 84. If you would like to join as an associate member, the annual membership is $150. You will be sent an invoice in July, and your payment will be due in September of each year. There is a $15 fee for payments received after September 15. Make your payment to the Buncombe County Bar, addressing your envelope as follows: Buncombe County Bar, Attention: Treasurer, PO Box 7391, Asheville, NC 28802, or pay online through PayPal. Use our online store to add the product to your cart and checkout through this website.
MEETINGS
We hold our monthly bar meetings at luncheons on the second Wednesday of the month at Celine’s on Broadway. The meeting starts at 12:30 PM, with doors opening at 12:15. No meetings are held in July, August, and December. Luncheon fees are $15 for members, $20 for guests. Please RSVP for any events you plan to attend on our events page.
BAR COMMUNICATIONS
Preface
Most Bar communication is electronic: it is sent via Email and/or posted on this website. Our 750+ members use a wide variety of technology and software. We do our best to communicate compatibly with the modalities most commonly in use by lawyers, but we know that users will experience problems. Many problems will be solved by users’ taking the steps permitted within their systems to cause Bar emails and Bar website applications to be accepted by their spam filters, email servers, and other elements. Having taken steps to provide wide compatibility, we have not staffed our office to help with technology problems that individuals may experience with our communications.
Weekly Email
A weekly email is sent electronically to all members to the email address on file. It is the most time-sensitive way of receiving information of interest to Buncombe County lawyers and the legal community. So, make sure that your Bar Administrator has an email address for you.
To enter a submission to the weekly Email, click Submit Items for Publication to learn how to create and email an entry.
Website
This is the Bar’s website. Among its benefits is a Member Directory. We invite you to join the directory by setting up a profile. (A basic initial profile may be set up for you by the Bar Administrator, but optimizing the benefits of the directory can only be achieved by your input in creating and periodically updating the profile.) An initial password will be provided by the Bar Administrator.
Bar Office
The Bar Office is located in the Courthouse on the 8th floor, Room 820. Our office hours are 9 – 5 Monday – Friday. Please make an appointment by calling 828-252-5733, or email admin@BuncombeBar.com so that we may best serve your needs.
Web site Help
Logging in to this Website
If you have not received or do not know your login criteria, contact the webmaster and a new welcome email can be generated for you. You may reset the password after logging in.
To login, click LOGIN from the top of the site (bottom if on mobile). Enter your email address and password. Once logged into the site, you may update your online profile, submit Member News, Classifieds, or an upcoming event.
Managing Multiple Logins
For those of you who access multiple logins (i.e. partners, paralegals), you must login to only one account at a time, completely log out, and log back in with the new credentials.
The Membership Directory and Your Profile
This website provides user managed membership profiles searchable by members of this website and the public. We hope you will utilize it as another pathway to connect with peers and members of the public in need of a lawyer’s services.
On the Member Directory page, you can search for your profile using the “Search Members” box. If you cannot find your profile, have not received or do not know your login criteria, contact the webmaster for assistance.
Browse to your profile by clicking your image in the list generated from your search results. Updating your member profile is as simple as changing and/or completing the form provided. File limitations exists as to type and size. You may upload image files that do not exceed 2MB.
Member News Items
When logged into this site, members can post press release and member news in accordance with the Publication Guidelines. Approved member news will be provided to the Bar membership in Tuesday’s Bar Brief’s Newsletter. All approved member news will be posted to this website, available for review at each member’s convenience.
When logged in, you can access forms for submitting member news from the top and side menus.
Member Classified Items
When logged into this site, members can post classified advertising (help wanted, office space, vacation rentals, etc.) in accordance with the Publication Guidelines. Approved member classifieds will be provided to the Bar membership in Tuesday’s Bar Brief’s Newsletter. All approved member classifieds will be posted to this website, available for review at each member’s convenience.
When logged in, you can access forms for submitting member classifieds on the Tabs at the top of this website, from the Bar News pages, and from the Footer of the site.
Member Submission Moderation
All member submissions through this website are reviewed and approved for publication by the Communications Committee pursuant to the Publication Guidelines. Moderation is not immediate. You will be notified if there is an error preventing publication of your news item, classified ad or event.
Events: Registering and Managing
Event management is not a new element of the Bar’s website. The system will help the you and the Bar administration to manage event registrations and reminders. Upcoming Events are listed strategically throughout the website. You can find the complete calendar on the Events page.
The Upcoming Events calendar is organized by month. Each link on the calendar has its own Event page, with full information, locations and registration. Once you’ve registered for an event, the registration form closes on the main event page, so you don’t accidentally duplicate event registrations. If you need to cancel or add to your registrations, you can Manage Your Event Registrations anytime you are logged in.
Creating an Event
Member created events are moderated and, if approved, placed on the calendar along with other Bar events. Member Events can include open houses, CLE’s, retirement parties, etc. You can create an event by following the “Create Event” link in the Membership section of the Tabs and Footer navigation when you are logged in to this site.
Bar Briefs Weekly Newsletter
The Bar Briefs newsletter will be delivered weekly on Tuesday morning to the email address associated with your user account. The list is an opt out list. If you do not wish to receive the weekly email, you can opt out by managing your Subscription Options.
If you do not receive your Bar Briefs on Tuesday, check your email spam filters. Even though the Bar Briefs comes to you from “admin@buncombebar.com,” a familiar email address, spam filters are smart and recognize the mail is being generated from a website and not the Bar Administrator’s email address specifically.
If you prefer not to receive Bar updates, you can still remain informed. The Bar Briefs are cataloged online article by article.
Publication Guidelines
New tools require new Publication Guidelines. Knowing the Online Bar Briefs publication criteria will ensure your posts will pass moderation approval. Links to the Publication Guidelines are placed strategically throughout the website.
Paying Your Dues Online
Dues may be paid online through PayPal. Use our online store to add the Product to your cart and checkout through this website.