MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
Personal Membership
NGB membership is personal and not linked to your employer. While membership invoices may be sent directly to your employer, you remain personally responsible for payment. Alternatively, you may pay the invoice yourself and subsequently claim reimbursement from your employer. Through the debtor details section of the NGB portal, you can specify the email address to which membership invoices should be sent.
Changing employer? If you remain an in-house counsel, you can simply continue your membership and update your details via the My NGB portal. If your former employer is listed as the debtor for your membership and fails to pay the invoice, responsibility for payment automatically transfers to you. The same applies if your current employer chooses not to pay the invoice.
If you leave your organisation and your successor wishes to become an NGB member, they must submit their own membership application.
Vendor/Supplier Forms
Unfortunately, we are unable to complete vendor and/or supplier forms. The time required for this process is disproportionate to the membership fee. For this reason, the NGB Board decided in 2022 to discontinue this practice.
Membership invoices can be paid by bank transfer or via iDEAL. If an employer is unable to pay an invoice because of internal payment procedures, the member may pay the invoice personally and subsequently claim reimbursement from their employer.
Resigning your Membership
You may resign your membership subject to a notice period of four weeks. Membership fees for the year in which you resign remain payable, together with any other outstanding invoices. To avoid receiving an invoice for the following year, you must submit your resignation before 1 December.
Resigning as a Member
A membership resignation can only be submitted by the member personally, either in writing or by completing the resignation form. We will send an acknowledgement of receipt of your resignation. If you do not receive this acknowledgement, we have not received your resignation. In that case, please contact the Secretariat directly.
If you no longer meet the membership criteria, you cannot remain a member of the NGB. Any change of employer, email address, job title or office location should be communicated to the NGB. You can do this by updating your profile in the NGB portal.
As membership is personal, a change of employer does not affect your membership status. If your employer is listed as the debtor for your membership and you move to a new position, your membership remains active and you will be responsible for payment until new debtor details are provided. You may also choose to pay the membership fee yourself and reclaim the cost from your employer.
Resigning as an Employer (Debtor)
An employer (debtor) cannot resign an NGB membership on behalf of a member, as membership is personal. For the same reason, another in-house counsel cannot take over someone else's membership. Anyone wishing to become a member must submit their own membership application.
An employer may, however, request to be removed as the debtor for a member, for example when the member is no longer employed by the organisation. In that event, responsibility for payment transfers to the member. We would appreciate receiving a personal email address or a new business email address for future correspondence. Members can update these details through the My NGB portal. Employers may contact the Membership Administration by email.
Membership Fees and Dispensation
When membership ends, the membership fee for the current financial year remains payable. No full or partial refunds of membership fees are provided. If you do not immediately move into a new qualifying in-house counsel role following the termination of your employment, you may submit a written request, by letter or email, for the temporary continuation of your membership.
If, between 1 January and 1 July, you do not meet the membership criteria because you do not hold a position as an in-house counsel, you may remain a member until 31 December of that year. If you cease to meet the criteria between 1 July and 31 December and wish to make use of the dispensation, you may remain a member until 1 July of the following year.
If during that period you accept a position that does not qualify for membership, you must inform NGB. Your membership will then end with immediate effect. Where necessary, the Board will make a decision. Membership fees for the current year remain payable.
The information above is based on the NGB Articles of Association and decisions of the NGB Board.
