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Legal Plan SPD
>> General Information
Mailing
Address
It is important that you notify the Member Service Center whenever
your address changes. (In addition, if you have a pending matter
with the Legal Fund, you must also notify the Legal Fund Director
of any name or address change.) You are considered unreachable if
a letter sent to you by first-class mail to your last known address
is returned.

Employer Contributions The Fund
receives contributions in accordance with collective bargaining
agreements between the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations,
Inc., or various independent employers, and your union. These collective
bargaining agreements provide that employers contribute to the Fund
on behalf of each covered employee. Employers that are parties to
such collective bargaining agreements may also participate in the
Fund on behalf of non-collectively bargained employees if approved
by the Trustees
by signing a participation agreement. Certain other employers (such
as Local 32BJ itself and the 32BJ Benefit Funds) participate in
the Fund on behalf of their employees by signing a participation
agreement.
The Compliance Office will provide you, upon written request,
with information as to whether a particular employer is contributing
to the Fund on behalf of participants working under a collective
bargaining or a
participation agreement.

How Benefits May Be Reduced, Delayed or
Lost There are certain situations under which benefits
may be reduced, delayed or lost. Most of these circumstances are
spelled out in this booklet, but benefits also may be affected if
you do not:
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furnish the information required for the provision of legal
services under the Plan
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cooperate with your Fund lawyer (see Why
a Fund Lawyer May Be Unable To Represent You for information),
or
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have a current address on file with Member Services.
You should also be aware that Plan benefits are not payable
for dependents who become ineligible. Knowingly claiming benefits
for someone who is not eligible is considered fraud and could subject
you to criminal prosecution.
If the Plan mistakenly pays more than you or a dependent are eligible
for, or pays benefits that were not authorized by the Plan, the
Fund may seek any permissible remedy allowed by law to recover benefits
paid in error.

Compliance with Federal Law
The Plan is governed by regulations and rulings of the Internal
Revenue Service, the Department of Labor and current tax law. The
Plan will always be construed to comply with these regulations,
rulings and laws. Generally, Federal law takes precedence over state
law.

Plan Amendment or Termination
The Board intends to continue the Plan indefinitely, but reserves
the right to amend or terminate it in its sole discretion. If the
Plan is terminated or otherwise amended, it will not affect your
right to receive
reimbursement for eligible expenses you have incurred prior to terminationor
amendment.
Upon a full termination of the Plan, Plan assets will be allocated
to provide benefits in accordance with the applicable provisions
of the Trust Agreement and Federal law.
Keep in mind that the benefits provided under the Plan are not
vested. This is true for retirees as well as active employees. Therefore,
at any time the Board can end or amend benefits, including retiree
benefits, in its sole and absolute discretion.

Plan Administration Benefits are
provided from the Fund’s assets. Those assets are accumulated
under the provisions of the Trust Agreement and are held in a Trust
Fund for the purpose of providing benefits to covered participants
and eligible dependents and defraying reasonable administrative
expenses.
The Plan is administered by the Board of Trustees. The Board governs
the Plan in accordance with an Agreement and Declaration of Trust.
The Board and/or its duly authorized designee(s) has the exclusive
right, power and authority, in its sole and absolute discretion,
to administer, apply and interpret the Plan, and to decide all matters
arising in connection with the operation or administration of the
Plan. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Board
and/or its duly authorized designees, including the Appeals Committee
with regard to benefit claim appeals, shall have the sole and absolute
discretionary authority to:
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take all actions and make all decisions with respect to the
eligibility for, and the amount of, benefits payable under the
Plan
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formulate, interpret and apply rules, regulations and policies
necessary to administer the Plan in accordance with the terms
of the Plan
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decide questions, including legal or factual questions, relating
to the calculation and payment of benefits under the Plan
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resolve and/or clarify any ambiguities, inconsistencies and
omissions arising under the Plan, as described in this SPD and
the Trust Agreement
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rule on any benefit exclusions, and
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determine the standard of proof required in any case.
All determinations and interpretations made by the Board
and/or its duly authorized designees shall be final and binding
upon all participants, eligible dependents, beneficiaries and any
other individuals claiming benefits under the Plan. The
Board has delegated certain administrative and operational functions
to the Fund staff and to the Appeals Committee. Most of your dayto-
day questions about your benefits can be answered by Member Services
staff. If you wish to contact the Board, please write to:
Board of Trustees
Building Service 32BJ Legal Services Fund
101 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10013-1991

Statement of Rights under the Employee Retirement
Income Security Act of 1974 as Amended
As a participant in the Building Service 32BJ Legal Services Fund,
you are entitled to certain rights and protections under the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). ERISA provides that
all Plan participants shall be entitled to:
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Examine, without charge, at the Compliance Office, all documents
governing the Plan, including collective bargaining agreements,
participation agreements and a copy of the latest annual report
(Form 5500 series) filed by the Plan with the U.S. Department
of Labor and available at the Public Disclosure Room of the
Employee Benefits Security Administration (“EBSA”).
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Obtain, upon written request to the Compliance Office, copies
of documents governing the operation of the Plan, including
collective bargaining agreements, participation agreements,
copies of the latest annual report (Form 5500 series) and an
updated Summary Plan Description.
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Receive a summary of the Plan’s annual financial report.
The Board is required by law to furnish each participant with
a copy of this summary annual report.
In addition to creating rights for Plan participants, ERISA imposes
duties upon the people who are responsible for the operation of
the Plan. The people who operate your Plan, called “fiduciaries”
of the Plan, have a duty to do so prudently and in the interest
of you and other Plan participants and beneficiaries. No one, including
your employer, your union, or any other person, may fire you or
otherwise discriminate against you in any way to prevent you from
obtaining a welfare benefit or exercising your rights under ERISA.
If your claim for a benefit is denied or ignored, in whole or in
part, you have a right to know why this was done, to obtain copies
of documents relating to the decision without charge, and to appeal
any denial, all within certain time schedules.
Under ERISA, there are steps you can take to enforce the above
rights. For instance, if you request a copy of Plan documents or
the latest annual report from the Plan and do not receive them within
30 days, you may file suit in a Federal court. In such a case, the
court may require the Plan administrator to provide the materials
and pay you up to $110 a day until you receive the materials, unless
the materials were not sent because of reasons beyond the control
of the administrator.
If you have a claim for benefits, which is denied or ignored,
in whole or in part, you may file suit in a State or Federal court
after you have exhausted the Plan’s appeals procedure (see
the Appealing Denied Claims section). You
may not file a lawsuit until you have followed the appeal procedures
described in the Appealing Denied Claims section.
If it should happen that Plan fiduciaries misuse the Plan’s
money, or if you are discriminated against for asserting your rights,
you may seek assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor, or you
may file suit in Federal court. The court will decide who should
pay court costs and legal fees. If you are successful, the court
may order the person you have sued to pay these costs and fees.
If you lose, the court may order you to pay these costs and fees,
for example, if it finds your claim is frivolous.
If you have any questions about your Plan, you should contact
the Plan administrator. If you have any questions about this statement
or about your rights under ERISA, or if you need assistance in obtaining
documents from the Plan administrator, you should contact the nearest
office of EBSA, U.S. Department of Labor, listed in your telephone
directory, or the:
Division of Technical Assistance and
Inquiries
Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
U.S. Department of Labor
200 Constitution Avenue N.W.
Washington, DC 20210
You may also obtain certain publications about your rights and
responsibilities under ERISA by calling the publications hotline
of EBSA or by visiting the Department of Labor’s website::
http://www.dol.gov.

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