Consumer Attorneys of California

What Consumer Attorneys of California does

Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) is a Sacramento-headquartered nonprofit professional membership organization, founded in 1962, that represents plaintiff-side consumer and personal-injury attorneys across California. The organization positions itself as representing the interests of 39 million Californians through its member-attorneys, and its core functions are legislative and political advocacy, continuing legal education, and member services. CAOC operates a formal political program including endorsements, grassroots organizing, an Initiative Defense Fund, and amicus brief activity, and in 2025-2026 it led a $50M+ coalition campaign against an Uber ballot initiative that ultimately resolved through SB 623, signed by Governor Newsom in June 2026.

CAOC's product surface comprises (i) SeminarWeb Live! — an online MCLE platform delivered in partnership with SeminarWeb, offering live webinars ($99 for members, $129 for non-members) and on-demand programs ($39-$99) approved for CLE credit across 25+ state bars; (ii) annual in-person events including the 65th Annual Convention (Nov 12-15, 2026), the Class Action Seminar (Sept 24, 2026), and the Hawaii Seminar; (iii) content channels including Forum Magazine and the Just Us for Justice Podcast; and (iv) member-benefit infrastructure such as attorney and business-friends directories, a job board, list servers, and amicus brief access. The organization also runs an annual awards program (Consumer Attorney of the Year, Street Fighter of the Year, Robert E. Cartwright Sr. Award, Marvin E. Lewis Award, Edward I. Pollock Award, Woman Consumer Advocate Award).

CAOC's revenue model is subscription/dues-based: members pay annual dues for access to CLE, advocacy services, networking events, and political representation, while non-members pay higher per-program rates for CLE access. Revenue is augmented by event registrations, affiliate marketplace fees, and advocacy-related donations. The organization is privately funded as a nonprofit and is not venture-backed; it has 11-50 employees and operates from a single Sacramento headquarters at 770 L St, Ste 1200.

Name

Consumer Attorneys of California

Legal name

Consumer Attorneys of California

Website

https://caoc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Consumer Attorneys of California is a Sacramento-based nonprofit professional membership organization, founded in 1962, that represents plaintiff-side consumer and personal-injury attorneys through legislative advocacy, continuing legal education (SeminarWeb), annual events, and political endorsements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Legal Association Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Rights & Public Interest Advocacy (BPAGAFAK)

Keywords

• Plaintiff attorney advocacy
• Continuing legal education
• Consumer protection advocacy
• Trial lawyer association
• Professional membership organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: CAOC generates revenue primarily through annual membership dues from consumer/ plaintiff attorneys across California. Membership provides access to CLE seminars, advocacy services, legal resources, and networking events.
2. MCLE Education Programs: Revenue from SeminarWeb live webinars ($99 for members, $129 for non-members) and on-demand programs ($39-$99). Programs offer continuing legal education credits approved across multiple state bars.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) is a nonprofit professional membership organization that serves plaintiff and consumer attorneys practicing in California. It sells annual memberships that bundle access to MCLE-accredited legal education programs (live webinars and on-demand courses via SeminarWeb), legislative and political advocacy, networking events such as the annual convention and Class Action Seminar, and member resources including the Forum Magazine publication, attorney directory, amicus briefs, and job board.

Product overview

Consumer Attorneys of California operates as a professional membership organization offering a unified suite of educational, advocacy, and networking services for plaintiff attorneys. The core offerings include SeminarWeb Live! for online MCLE education (live webinars and on-demand programs), in-person events like the annual Class Action Seminar and 65th Annual Convention, publications including Forum Magazine and the Just Us for Justice Podcast, and award programs such as Consumer Attorney of the Year and Street Fighter of the Year. The organization also provides advocacy services through its Initiative Defense Fund and legislative program, plus member resources including an attorney directory, job board, and amicus brief access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SeminarWeb Live! Online MCLE Program Subscription and pay-per-program online continuing legal education platform providing live and on-demand MCLE webinars for plaintiff attorneys; CLE credit approved across multiple state bars. CAOC members pay $99 per live webinar; non-members pay $129; on-demand programs range $39-$99.
• CAOC Annual Convention CAOC's flagship annual in-person convention featuring legal education, networking, and the association's awards ceremony; held annually since 1961 (65th convention scheduled November 12-15, 2026).
• Class Action Seminar Annual in-person seminar focused on class action litigation topics, scheduled September 24, 2026.
• Forum Magazine CAOC's member publication providing articles on legal topics, consumer advocacy, and association news.
• CAOC Annual Membership Annual membership granting plaintiff attorneys access to MCLE programs, legislative advocacy, amicus briefs, attorney directory, business friends directory, job board, conventions, and member networking resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully negotiated settlement with Uber in 2026, averting $50 million ballot showdown and achieving safety requirements and medical lien reforms
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SupiominorOthers · 23 December 2025Supio, a legal technology company serving personal injury firms, donated $100,000 to the Alliance Against Corporate Abuse (sponsored by CAOC) to oppose Uber's California ballot initiative that would cap attorney fees at 25% and limit medical cost recovery.
• Rockpoint Legal FundingminorOthers · 14 October 2025Rockpoint Legal Funding supports AB 931 (the California Consumer Legal Funding Act), which CAOC helped pass to regulate litigation financing and protect consumers from unclear terms and excessive fees.
• Alliance Against Corporate AbusecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 October 2025The Alliance Against Corporate Abuse is a coalition sponsored by Consumer Attorneys of California formed to oppose Uber's ballot initiative. The alliance filed three counter-initiatives and coordinated a $50+ million opposition campaign.
• SeminarWebcoreTechnology or IntegrationCAOC partners with SeminarWeb to deliver online MCLE education programs. SeminarWeb provides the technical platform for live webinars and on-demand courses, with programs approved for CLE credit across 25+ state bars.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Association for Justice: National plaintiff-bar trial lawyer association offering the same combination of CLE, legislative advocacy, amicus briefs, and annual conventions as CAOC, but at national scope. CAOC effectively mirrors AAJ's model at the California state level.
• Public Citizen: Large national consumer advocacy nonprofit with overlapping priorities on corporate accountability, product safety, and tort reform. Operates broader scope but shares CAOC's litigation-and-lobbying advocacy model.
• State Bar of California: Official California attorney licensing body that also administers MCLE requirements and advocacy programs. Distinct in being a mandatory regulatory body rather than voluntary association, but overlaps substantially in MCLE delivery and lawyer policy engagement.

Direct peers

• Consumer Watchdog: California-based nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that frequently allies with CAOC on tort reform and corporate accountability campaigns. Operates in the same Sacramento policy ecosystem on overlapping consumer-rights issues.
• Public Justice: National nonprofit advocacy organization for plaintiff-side litigators focused on precedent-setting impact cases. Shares CAOC's mission of fighting corporate power through the courts and supporting contingency-fee practice.
• National Consumer Law Center: Federal-level consumer advocacy organization that produces research and policy on consumer protection, frequently collaborating with state trial lawyer associations including CAOC on legislative and amicus work.
• Center for Justice & Democracy: National consumer-rights organization defending the civil justice system and trial-bar interests against tort reform. Closely aligned with CAOC's anti-tort-reform advocacy mission and frequently cited in CAOC materials.

Regional players

• California Medical Association: California state-level professional membership organization for physicians that, like CAOC, runs Sacramento-based legislative advocacy, MCLE-equivalent CME education, and an annual convention — comparable operating model in a parallel profession.

Emerging players

• The Trial Network (formerly Mass Torts Made Perfect): Plaintiff-attorney educational conference organization running plaintiff-side CLE programming. Directly comparable to CAOC's SeminarWeb and annual convention products, but without CAOC's legislative advocacy mission.

Others

• U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform: The principal national tort-reform advocacy counterweight to CAOC's mission. Included not as a direct peer but as the structural opponent whose campaigns drive CAOC's advocacy demand.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/consumerattysca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Consumer Attorneys of California