Friday 5: Most Common Mistakes Made on your Annual License Renewal Form

Annual license renewal is happening right now. This short post will tell you about the 5 most common mistakes made on the license form by active members and quick tips for completing the renewal error free.

Every year, we at the WSBA see the results of busy lawyers completing the license form in a rush or passing it on to an assistant to complete. I’m sure it is no surprise to you that this often results in mistakes. Here are the top five most common mistakes made by active members:

1. You forget to mark a box on the Professional Liability Insurance Disclosure.
2. You leave the Trust Account Information blank.
3. Your form is not fully signed with a signature, date and place included.
4. You forget to pay the mandatory $30 Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection Assessment.
5. Your adding doesn’t quite add up, resulting in either overpays or underpays.

These are all fairly easy to overlook in a rush, but, failure to correct the error can lead to suspension of your license to practice law. Here are some tips to help avoid these errors:

• Complete your license renewal online at mywsba.org. This is by far the easiest way to complete your license renewal without mistakes. The license summary page will show which steps have been completed and which have not.
• Slow down and take a minute to double check that all the required information is complete.
• If you have an assistant complete the form, review it before you sign it.
• Use a calculator or assistant to double check your math.

A little extra effort up front saves us a lot of time and effort down the road and keeps us from having to contact you.

Finally, don’t forget to update your contact information on mywsba.org throughout the year as changes occur. Thank you for your help!

Remember, you must complete your annual license renewal by February 1, 2013 to avoid a 30% late fee.