Time for LBA Bank Counsel Section Membership Renewal & Online Bank Counsel Directory Listing Update

The LBA is a nonprofit trade association with membership consisting of banks, savings banks and savings and loan associations operating in the state. We provide industry information, as well as education and legislative and legal advocacy for Louisiana financial institutions. The LBA also communicates to the public and the press about Louisiana's banking industry. The LBA offers the Bank Counsel Section as a membership group for banking and commercial attorneys, which provides industry information and education to those professionals who represent the industry. Well-informed and knowledgeable bank counsel are a valuable asset to our industry.

It is time to renew LBA Bank Counsel Section membership for 2019, as Bank Counsel Section membership follows the calendar year. We hope that existing Bank Counsel Section members have found the information and resources provided during the 2018 year to be informative and useful in their practices. LBA staff is ever mindful of the importance of providing value and will continue working to enhance the value of Bank Counsel Section membership. Please be on the lookout for membership renewal letters and dues invoices, which are being mailed out later this month. Click here to see the 2019 LBA Bank Counsel Section membership renewal letter, invoice and information form.

This is also a great time for Bank Counsel Section members to update their listings in the online LBA Bank Counsel Directory. The Bank Counsel Directory allows member-attorneys to indicate their areas of practice focus from a list of 21 practice areas. (The directory information form is included in the above link). In addition, Bank Counsel Section members are able to include in their directory listing a photograph/headshot, biographical information and links to their law firm’s website. The directory is searchable by name, areas of practice and city. The online directory is a valuable resource for bankers and others looking to hire banking or commercial lawyers. Please make sure to complete the form and return it so that your listing can be updated.

Bank Counsel Section member benefits includes receiving many LBA publications throughout the year. Members receive electronically the LBA’s Government Relations Update; annual Legislative Report; monthly Regulatory Review; monthly Legal Bulletin; and monthly electronic newsletter, The Louisiana Banker. 

Members of the Bank Counsel Section also have access to member-only online content on the LBA website, including access to an electronic version of the Louisiana Banking Laws, which is a compilation of laws related to banking, lending, unclaimed property, banks sale of insurance, public funds, exemptions from seizure, bank shares tax, certain Office of Financial Institution regulations, policies and interpretations and select Attorney General opinions. 

Another lesser-known benefit available to Bank Counsel Section membership is online access to an archive of past Bank Counsel Conference presentation materials. Bank Counsel Conference materials are organized by year and by presentation title. The electronically-formatted materials enable members to perform key-word searches to find relevant information.

Membership also allows for registration at certain LBA events at lower member-rates, such as the annual Bank Counsel Conference, the LBA Annual Convention and LBA-sponsored educational programs. The Bank Counsel Conference is considered the signature event for the Bank Counsel Section. A two-day conference held each December in New Orleans, the Bank Counsel Conference draws attendees from all over the Gulf Coast Region. Attendees are able to hear presentations from national and regional experts on timely banking and commercial law topics, network with bankers and fellow banking attorneys and earn required continuing legal education credit hours. 

I truly believe that membership in the LBA Bank Counsel Section provides a valuable benefit to commercial and bank lawyers, and hope you will renew your membership. Individual dues are $250 per year, per member. There is also a law firm membership for $3,000 per year, which enables up to 15 attorneys from the member law firm to be listed as members and receive member benefits. 

Click here to visit the LBA’s Bank Counsel Section membership webpage for more information or contact me by phone, (225) 214-4836 or email, boneno@lba.org.