Dallas Bar Association

What Dallas Bar Association does

The Dallas Bar Association (DBA) is a nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1873, serving more than 11,000 attorneys in the Dallas, Texas metropolitan area. It operates as a 501(c)(6) entity with a staff of 11-50 employees headquartered at 2101 Ross Avenue, Dallas, and is affiliated with the Dallas Bar Foundation, its charitable arm supporting access-to-justice initiatives. The DBA generates revenue through annual membership dues, Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) panel fees ($100/year for DBA members, higher for non-members) plus a $20 administrative fee per referred consultation, and fee-based professional development programs such as WE LEAD ($1,200 per participant for a 2026 cohort running February to November).

The DBA's product surface is delivered primarily through its website (dallasbar.org), the Knowledge Hub digital resource library (hub.dallasbar.org) hosting content from 30+ technology and legal service partners, an on-demand CLE platform (ondemandcle.dallasbar.org), and the DBA mobile application. Core programs include over 400 free CLE programs annually, the Lawyer Referral Service handling 40,000+ calls and 16,000+ referrals per year, LegalLine free weekly Wednesday virtual clinics, the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP) providing pro bono civil legal services to low-income Dallas County residents, the WE LEAD women's leadership program, and the STEER advisory program for young lawyers. The organization also publishes the Headnotes monthly print magazine mailed to 11,000+ members and maintains an active social media presence across six platforms.

The DBA's go-to-market is two-sided: it serves attorneys as members and CLE consumers, and it serves the Dallas-area public as a free referral and legal-clinic channel. Distribution is regional (Dallas metro), with the Knowledge Hub representing the only globally accessible surface. Strategic partnerships include the Dallas Bar Foundation, Legal Aid of Northwest Texas, Texas Lawyer Insurance Exchange, and content vendors NetDocuments, Clio, LinkSquares, and SOBERLINK. In February 2026, the organization announced that its Equal Access to Justice campaign raised nearly $1.4 million to support DVAP.

Name

Dallas Bar Association

Legal name

Dallas Bar Association

Website

https://dallasbar.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1873

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Dallas Bar Association is a 150-year-old nonprofit professional membership organization serving 11,000+ attorneys in the Dallas metro area through membership services, continuing legal education, a Lawyer Referral Service handling 40,000+ annual calls, pro bono programs, and women's leadership development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Legal Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

Keywords

• Legal professional membership
• Continuing legal education
• Lawyer referral services
• Pro bono legal services
• Bar association programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for attorneys. DBA members pay $100 annual fee for LRS panel membership. Non-DBA members pay a higher rate for LRS panel membership.
2. Lawyer Referral Service Fees: The LRS collects a $20 administrative fee for each referral where attorneys provide a half-hour consultation. Callers are referred to attorneys serving on the LRS panel.
3. Professional Development Programs: WE LEAD program charges $1,200 per participant for the leadership program running February to November 2026. Need-based scholarships are available.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Dallas Bar Association is a nonprofit professional membership organization for attorneys in the Dallas, Texas area, providing membership services, continuing legal education (400+ free CLE programs annually), a Lawyer Referral Service connecting the public with member attorneys, pro bono civil legal aid through the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program, free legal clinics via LegalLine, and leadership development programs such as WE LEAD for women lawyers. Founded in 1873, the DBA serves more than 11,000 members and operates as a 501(c)(6) entity, with revenue sourced from membership dues, referral administrative fees, program fees, sponsorships, and donations.

Product overview

The Dallas Bar Association offers a single unified membership platform primarily delivered through its website (dallasbar.org), supplemented by the DBA App for mobile access. Member services include the Lawyer Referral Service for client referrals, LegalLine for free legal clinics, and the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program for pro bono assistance. Professional development offerings comprise over 400 free CLE programs annually and the WE LEAD leadership program for women lawyers. Additional member resources include the Knowledge Hub (a resource library with vendor content), STEER mentoring for young lawyers, and DEI initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dallas Bar Foundation: Charitable arm of the Dallas Bar Association supporting access to justice initiatives
• Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP)
• DBA Knowledge Hub
• DBA WE LEAD
• Lawyer Referral Service

Products and services

• WE LEAD (Women Empowered to Lead) Leadership Program A leadership development program for high-performing women lawyers with 7-15 years of practice experience, designed to address unique challenges facing women in the legal profession and develop professional leadership skills. Includes four half-day sessions and monthly mentoring meetings.
• Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) A phone-based referral service that matches individuals seeking legal representation with member attorneys on a rotating basis. Handles over 40,000 calls annually and refers approximately 16,000 callers to attorneys serving on the LRS panel. Attorneys pay an annual panel fee ($100 for DBA members; higher for non-members) and collect a $20 administrative fee per half-hour consultation.
• LegalLine Free Legal Clinic A free legal assistance clinic where volunteer attorneys answer legal questions from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesdays via telephone. Registration is required and space is limited.
• Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP) A pro bono program that assists low-income individuals in Dallas County with civil legal needs through virtual and in-person intake clinics, supported by the DBA's affiliated Dallas Bar Foundation.
• Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Programs Over 400 free CLE programs offered annually to DBA members, available in person, virtually, or on demand through the On-Demand CLE platform, supporting members' ongoing professional development and MCLE compliance.
• Knowledge Hub A digital resource library offering downloadable white papers, guides, reports, eBooks, on-demand webinars, videos, and case studies from subject matter experts and industry partners including NetDocuments (41 resources), Clio (39 resources), LinkSquares (37 resources), and SOBERLINK (24 resources).
• DBA Mobile App A mobile application (iOS/Android) enabling DBA members to connect, discuss, and manage their membership on the go, including renewal and engagement features.
• STEER (Stability Tools for Employment and Economic Resilience) An advisory program assisting young lawyers and recent graduates with employment and career stability following economic disruptions such as COVID-19.
• Dallas Bar Association Membership Annual membership in the Dallas Bar Association, providing access to the 11,000+ member network, the Lawyer Referral Service panel, free CLE programs (400+ annually), Knowledge Hub resources, member discounts, committees and sections, networking events, the Headnotes monthly publication, and pro bono opportunities.
• Headnotes Monthly Publication A monthly print publication mailed to 11,000+ members featuring authored content, professional insights, and accepting display advertising from third parties.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dallas Bar FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Dallas Bar Foundation is an affiliated nonprofit organization of the Dallas Bar Association. It supports access to justice initiatives and pro bono programs.
• TexasBarBooksminorOthersProvider of statutory planning form documents including the Texas Guardianship Manual 4th Edition, provided compliments for COVID-19 first responder planning resources.
• Legal Aid of Northwest TexascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization providing the HIPAA Authorization form through the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program for first responder planning forms.
• Houston Volunteer LawyersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided holographic will instructions and sample language for COVID-19 emergency planning resources.
• Texas Lawyer Insurance Exchange (TLIE)minorOthersDeveloped a professional liability insurance package specifically for LRS panel members at discounted rates to make panel membership available to more attorneys.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• State Bar of Texas: Statewide mandatory bar association in Texas. Functionally analogous to DBA but with mandatory membership for all Texas attorneys and statutory responsibility for attorney discipline and licensing. Most direct comparable on scope of legal professional services.
• Houston Bar Association: Voluntary metropolitan bar association serving the Houston legal community — the same model as DBA in Texas's other major legal market. Directly comparable in structure: membership dues, referral service, CLE programming, and pro bono initiatives.
• Chicago Bar Association: Voluntary metropolitan bar association serving Chicago attorneys. Closely analogous structure and scale to DBA: membership directory, CLE programming, lawyer referral service, pro bono, and member benefits.
• Los Angeles County Bar Association: Voluntary metropolitan bar serving LA's legal community. Equivalent product set (membership, lawyer referral service, CLE, sections) at larger scale than DBA but same operational model.

Broad incumbents

• American Bar Association: National voluntary bar association providing overlapping services at scale (membership, CLE, sections, policy advocacy). Operates as a broader-incumbent in the same professional membership category, with annual revenue an order of magnitude larger than DBA.
• New York State Bar Association: Large statewide voluntary bar association offering the same combination of CLE, sections, publications, and lawyer referral infrastructure as DBA, at much greater scale. Useful comparable for understanding upper-bound scale of voluntary bar models.

Others

• Dallas Bar Foundation: Affiliated 501(c)(3) charitable arm of DBA that channels pro bono and access-to-justice funding — disclosed as a wholly-owned subsidiary. Ecosystem party rather than direct competitor.
• Legal Aid of Northwest Texas: Regional legal aid provider and DBA's pro bono partner (provides HIPAA forms through DVAP). Adjacent in mission — civil legal aid for low-income Texans — but operates as a direct services organization rather than a membership association.
• Texas Bar Foundation: Statewide charitable foundation supporting access to justice, functionally analogous to Dallas Bar Foundation but at the Texas level. Ecosystem partner/fellow organization rather than a competing membership body.

Emerging players

• Avvo: Online lawyer directory and lead-generation platform offering consumer-facing attorney referrals nationally. Competes directly with DBA's Lawyer Referral Service in consumer mindshare, but operates digitally rather than phone-based and serves all geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dallasbarassoc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCEF_c5dqOVYOfFRHsXIko1Q/videos?disable_polymer=1
• Facebookfacebook.com/dallasbarassociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dallas-bar-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/dallasbarassoc
• TikToktiktok.com/@dallasbarassociation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Dallas Bar Association