The Florida Bar
The Florida Bar is the quasi-governmental regulatory body for Florida attorneys, serving roughly 98,135 lawyers in good standing through mandatory membership, licensing, discipline, continuing legal education, board certification, and technology partnerships including Clio Work AI.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1949
- HeadquartersTallahassee, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What The Florida Bar does
The Florida Bar is the quasi-governmental regulatory organization for all attorneys licensed by the Supreme Court of Florida, established under Article V, Section 15 of the Florida Constitution in 1949 and headquartered in Tallahassee, with branch offices in Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa. It is the official arm of the Florida Supreme Court for lawyer admission and discipline, supported by a 52-member volunteer Board of Governors, 2,000+ volunteers across 74 standing committees, and a 251–500 employee staff. As of June 2026, the Bar reports 98,135 eligible-to-practice members in good standing out of 115,000+ total members.
Core offerings span the full regulatory and member-services stack. Regulatory functions include lawyer discipline (Chief Branch Discipline Counsel across five offices), Unlicensed Practice of Law enforcement, the Attorney Consumer Assistance Program (ACAP), the Clients' Security Fund, and the 24/7 Lawyer Referral Service (consultations capped at $25 per 30 minutes). Member-facing programs include Board Certification (since 1982), Continuing Legal Education, the Florida Registered Paralegal Program (since 2008), the Wm. Reece Smith, Jr. Leadership Academy, and a multi-format content operation spanning the Florida Bar Journal, Florida Bar News, daily news email summaries, five podcasts (LegalFuel, Bar Briefs, Never Contemplated, On Civility, Lawyer/Leader), and 40+ LexisNexis-distributed publications. Technology member benefits include Fastcase legal research, M&T Bank's Nota trust-accounting platform (launched June 2023, 900+ members, renewed 2026), Smokeball Bill billing/trust-accounting software (June 2024), and — most notably — Clio Work AI delivered through the Preferred Bar Program (June 2025/announced June 2026), making the Bar the first U.S. state bar to offer free legal AI as a membership benefit.
The business model combines mandatory recurring membership dues with transactional and one-time fee streams. Mandatory annual dues fund regulatory operations and partially underwrite the Clients' Security Fund; supplementary revenues come from Board Certification application/exam/recertification fees, Pro Hac Vice fees ($250 to the Bar plus a $100 statutory filing), Lawyer Referral Service consultation fees, CLE course registration, and publication sales through LexisNexis. The Bar has no parent company, no equity funding, and no commercial exit path — it is a constitutionally chartered regulatory entity, not a privately investable business, which frames PE/VC analysis around member-benefit modernization rather than capital-structure or exit-driven value creation.
The Florida Bar firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Florida Bar
- Legal name
- The Florida Bar
- Website
- https://floridabar.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1949
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- The Florida Bar is the quasi-governmental regulatory body for Florida attorneys, serving roughly 98,135 lawyers in good standing through mandatory membership, licensing, discipline, continuing legal education, board certification, and technology partnerships including Clio Work AI.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Florida Bar industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Legal Professional Regulation and Bar Association Services
- NAICS
- Courts (92211), Legal Counsel and Prosecution (92213), Legal Services (5411)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- State/Provincial Courts & Judicial Administration (BPAIABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Legal & Compliance (CLE, Paralegal CE) (EDAAALAB)
Keywords
Where The Florida Bar is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tallahassee
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
The Florida Bar business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Annual Membership Fees: Mandatory annual fees paid by all members of The Florida Bar; partially funds the Clients' Security Fund and other member services.
- Lawyer Referral Service: Connects consumers to attorneys for a nominal consultation fee ($25); service available 24-7.
- Board Certification Fees: Fees for board certification applications, exams, and recertification processes.
- Pro Hac Vice Fees: $250 fee for out-of-state attorneys to appear pro hac vice in Florida courts; $100 statutory filing fee to the court.
- CLE Course Fees: Continuing Legal Education programs with registration fees for members and non-members.
- Publications: Sale of legal publications and law practice manuals through LexisNexis partnership.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Lawyer Referral Service consultation |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Leadership Academy participation fee |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Pro Hac Vice appearance fee |
| Freemium | Monthly | Nota Platform member benefit |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Clio Work AI access |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Florida Bar product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Florida Bar is the mandatory, unified statewide professional organization for all lawyers licensed by the Supreme Court of Florida, operating as the regulatory arm of the Court under Article V, Section 15 of the Florida Constitution. It administers attorney admission oversight, lawyer discipline, board certification, continuing legal education, ethics guidance, the 24/7 Lawyer Referral Service, the Clients' Security Fund, and a portfolio of member benefits including legal technology access through partnerships with Clio, M&T Bank, Smokeball, and Fastcase.
Product overview
The Florida Bar is a mandatory professional organization for attorneys licensed in Florida, offering a platform of member services rather than a single product. Core offerings include the Lawyer Referral Service (24/7 consumer-lawyer matching), Board Certification (voluntary specialization credentials), and Florida Bar CLE (continuing legal education). Technology member benefits include Clio Work AI (Preferred Bar Program), M&T Bank Nota (trust accounting), Smokeball Bill (billing software), and Fastcase legal research. Supporting programs include the Leadership Academy (leadership training), Florida Registered Paralegal Program, and LegalFuel podcast/professional development resources. The Florida Bar News and Florida Bar Journal serve as the organization's primary publications.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service
- Board Certification Program
- Continuing Legal Education (CLE)
- Wm. Reece Smith, Jr. Leadership Academy
- Florida Registered Paralegal Program
- M&T Bank Nota Platform (Member Benefit)
- Clio Work AI (Preferred Bar Program)
- Smokeball Bill (Member Benefit)
- Fastcase Legal Research
- LegalFuel Practice Resource Center
Quantifiable outcome
- First state bar in U.S. to offer free legal AI as a member benefit
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Florida Bar
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
The Florida Bar technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature2 records
The Florida Bar partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- CliocoreClio partnership makes The Florida Bar the first U.S. state bar to offer free legal AI as a membership benefit. Through the Preferred Bar Program, eligible members receive four months of free access to Clio Work AI platform for analyzing filings, conducting legal research, developing strategy, and drafting documents. Clio also pledged to train 25,000 legal professionals by October 2026.
- SmokeballcoreSmokeball provides free trust accounting and billing software to Florida Bar members through partnership. The program is part of Smokeball's expansion to 28 state bars, reaching over 900,000 U.S. lawyers. Usage data shows 60-70% of members who signed up were not previously using technology for trust accounting.
- M&T BankcoreM&T Bank provides the Nota platform, a cloud-based Interest on Trust Account (IOTA) management tool, as a free member benefit to Florida Bar attorneys. Since launch in June 2023, over 900 members have adopted the service. The partnership was renewed in 2026 with continued enhancements including improved reconciliation workflows and expanded integrations.
- Florida Board of Bar ExaminerscoreFlorida Board of Bar Examiners is the entity charged by the Florida Supreme Court with assuring that only qualified persons will be admitted to the practice of law. The Board investigates character and fitness of applicants, administers bar examination, and submits qualified candidates for Supreme Court approval.
- Florida Supreme CourtcoreThe Florida Supreme Court has exclusive constitutional authority to regulate admission to practice and discipline of lawyers. The Court performs these functions through The Florida Bar (investigative and prosecutorial authority) and Florida Board of Bar Examiners (admissions).
- Local Bar AssociationsminorLocal bar associations across Florida administer lawyer referral services and partner with The Florida Bar on various member services. Nine local bars operate their own referral services in major Florida cities.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Florida Bar competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Smokeball: Legal practice management software with built-in trust accounting and billing, serving small law firms. Provides The Florida Bar members with free trust accounting software through a state-bar partnership program spanning 28 states.
- LawPay: Trust accounting and online payment processor serving the legal industry. Operates in the same trust-accounting technology category as M&T Bank's Nota platform and Smokeball, which The Florida Bar offers to members, making it an adjacent technology peer.
- Clio: Legal practice management SaaS provider serving more than 150,000 lawyers globally. Partners with The Florida Bar to provide free AI access to members and is a key technology ally, making it an enabling partner and adjacent technology peer rather than a competitor.
Direct peers
- Florida Board of Bar Examiners: Constitutional partner entity charged with bar admissions in Florida. Closely linked to The Florida Bar by Florida Supreme Court authority, performing complementary regulatory functions (admissions vs. discipline) in the same jurisdiction.
- State Bar of California: Largest unified state bar in the U.S. with mandatory membership for ~250,000 California attorneys. Operates the same regulatory, discipline, and member services model as The Florida Bar across a single state, making it the most directly comparable peer for member scale and structure.
- State Bar of Texas: Unified state bar with mandatory membership serving roughly 100,000+ Texas attorneys. Operates the same regulatory, discipline, MCLE, and member benefit structure as The Florida Bar, making it a closely comparable peer in a similarly large and growing state.
- New York State Bar Association: Voluntary state bar in New York serving roughly 70,000+ members with CLE, member benefits, and practice resources. While voluntary (unlike Florida's mandatory model), it offers a comparable suite of CLE, publications, sections, and committee programming to attorneys in a single state.
Emerging players
- The Law Society (of England and Wales): Mandatory professional regulatory body for solicitors in England and Wales, with ~200,000 members. Comparable in regulatory function and mandatory membership structure, though operating under a different legal system and jurisdiction.
Broad incumbents
- American Bar Association: National voluntary bar association with over 400,000 members across all U.S. jurisdictions. Operates overlapping CLE, member benefits, and accreditation functions at national scale, making it the broadest incumbent peer though not a state-level regulator.
Regional players
- Illinois State Bar Association: Voluntary state bar in Illinois offering CLE, publications, and member services. Serves a similar attorney population with analogous programming but is voluntary rather than mandatory, making it a regional peer with comparable functional offerings.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Florida Bar social profiles
Digital presenceThe Florida Bar financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Florida Bar leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
The Florida Bar funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Florida Bar M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Florida Bar
What does The Florida Bar do?
The Florida Bar is the mandatory, unified statewide professional organization for all lawyers licensed by the Supreme Court of Florida, operating as the regulatory arm of the Court under Article V, Section 15 of the Florida Constitution. It administers attorney admission oversight, lawyer discipline, board certification, continuing legal education, ethics guidance, the 24/7 Lawyer Referral Service, the Clients' Security Fund, and a portfolio of member benefits including legal technology access through partnerships with Clio, M&T Bank, Smokeball, and Fastcase.
Is The Florida Bar a public or private company?
The Florida Bar is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was The Florida Bar founded?
The Florida Bar was founded in 1949. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is The Florida Bar based?
The Florida Bar is headquartered in Tallahassee, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Florida Bar make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Annual Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are lawyer Referral Service, board Certification Fees, pro Hac Vice Fees, CLE Course Fees and publications.
Who are The Florida Bar's main competitors?
Others on record are Smokeball, LawPay and Clio. Direct peers are Florida Board of Bar Examiners, State Bar of California, State Bar of Texas and New York State Bar Association. The Law Society (of England and Wales) is listed as an emerging player. American Bar Association is listed as a broad incumbent. Illinois State Bar Association is listed as a regional player.
Does The Florida Bar have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Florida Bar.
What industry is The Florida Bar in?
The Florida Bar's product category is Legal Professional Regulation and Bar Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIABAE, State/Provincial Courts & Judicial Administration, with a secondary code of EDAAALAB, Legal & Compliance (CLE, Paralegal CE). Its NAICS code is 92211 and its SIC code is 8111.