How Your Assignment Of Experience Credits Works
Your Plan's Unique Charitable Giving Feature

Founded in 1942, the American Bar Endowment is a §501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization composed of members of the American Bar Association. ABE makes annual grants to the American Bar Foundation and ABA Fund for Justice and Education to fulfill ABE’s charitable purpose of improving the administration of justice, one of our profession’s highest obligations, by funding research, public service and educational projects in the field of law. ABE also maintains a Legal Legacy Fund for the permanent support of its grantees. By participating in the Endowment’s group insurance programs, designed for and available only to ABA members, members can contribute to these funding efforts. Attorneys who enroll in ABE-sponsored group insurance programs agree that their share of any experience credits payable on the group policies may be retained by the Endowment for its charitable purposes unless reclaimed as outlined below. The Internal Revenue Service has ruled that members who leave their experience credits with the Endowment are eligible for a charitable contribution deduction on their individual income tax returns.

Members who donate experience credits to ABE make a difference. These funds, after administrative expenses, are the primary source of ABE’s charitable grants and additions to the Legal Legacy Fund. Insured members who donate their experience credits are helping to meet their professional and public responsibilities, as well as obtaining valuable coverage for their families. About 85% of members donate their experience credits, and these members are notified each year in late January of the amount, if any, of the experience credit donation for the prior year. (Experience Credits are not guaranteed, and in any given year, a given plan may not pay a experience credit; experience credits will vary from year to year.)

Members who wish to request a refund of their experience credits may do so. The approximate percentage of premium available for refund (if any) on each plan will be published in each November issue of the ABA Journal along with ABE’s Annual Report. You do not need to wait for this information as refund requests are accepted beginning January 1. To request that experience credits be paid to you rather than donated to ABE: After the first policy year of your participation, a written request for refund (by mail, fax, or e-mail to experiencecredits@abendowment.org) must be made each year and must reach the Endowment by December 15. When your refund request is received, a confirmation will be sent. Retain this for your records as proof your request was timely received. If your confirmation is not received within 3 weeks, contact the Endowment promptly to obtain another copy.

If you receive a contribution notice and you did not intend to make a contribution, you may request a one-time waiver of the December 15 deadline by asking for a refund, if you have not previously requested such a waiver. Each member is entitled to one and only one exception to the deadline requirement.

Please note: Members who do not want to contribute experience credits to ABE are required to “opt out” each year, using the procedures above. When members sign the application, they are agreeing to make an annual decision whether to contribute. Do not sign the application if you do not agree with these procedures.