What PTAB Bar Association does

The PTAB Bar Association is a 501(c)(6) non-profit professional association founded on June 17, 2016, and headquartered in McLean, Virginia. It is the only bar association in the United States exclusively devoted to legal practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), and is described as the first national bar association of this scope formed in more than 30 years. The organization serves attorneys, patent agents, law students, administrative patent judges, and in-house counsel at major corporations, with a stated membership base of 501–1,000 individuals, governed by a 15-member Board of Directors and supported by 14 standing committees.

Its core product is a community and content platform built on the MemberLeap membership management system, which powers online membership enrollment and renewal, event registration, a member directory, and access to publications. Content products include the PTAB Roundup biweekly newsletter, an annual Law Journal (Volume 23 published in 2024), and The Appellate Year in Review. Flagship in-person events include the Annual Conference held in Washington, D.C., and the Thought Leader Summit held in Alexandria, Virginia, supplemented by regional programming in cities such as Chicago and Santa Clara. The organization also operates a Patent Pro Bono Program providing free legal representation to financially under-resourced inventors in ex parte appeals.

The revenue model is community-funded through three streams: recurring annual membership dues (Regular, Judicial, and Affiliate tiers, with terms running March 1 to March 1), tiered conference registration fees (e.g., $685 for member private practice attorneys vs. $780 non-member; $295 member in-house or patent agent vs. $345 non-member), and event sponsorships (Leadership Sponsor $5,000, Virtual Platform Sponsor $3,000, CLE Session Sponsor $2,000). Membership and sponsorship contributions are not deductible as charitable contributions but may be deductible as business expenses. The association was capitalized through Diamond- and Gold-level seed funding from 45+ leading IP law firms in 2016 and is economically self-sustaining through dues and event revenue.

Name

PTAB Bar Association

Legal name

PTAB Bar Association

Website

https://ptabbar.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The PTAB Bar Association is a 501(c)(6) non-profit professional association serving attorneys, patent agents, judges, and corporate in-house counsel who practice before the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board, delivering membership services, conferences, publications, and pro bono programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mclean

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues for attorneys, patent agents, law students, and judicial members. Membership term runs from March 1 to March 1 of the following year.
2. Conference Registration Fees: Revenue from Annual Conference and Thought Leader Summit registrations. Fees vary by membership status and attendee type (Private Practice Attorney, In-House Attorney, Patent Agent, Judge, Student/Judicial Clerk, Other).
3. Conference Sponsorships: Sponsorship tiers for events including Leadership Sponsor ($5,000), Virtual Platform Sponsor ($3,000), and CLE Session Sponsor ($2,000) levels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The PTAB Bar Association is a non-profit professional membership organization that serves attorneys, patent agents, law students, and Administrative Patent Judges practicing before the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board. It delivers value through annual membership, two flagship in-person events (Annual Conference and Thought Leader Summit) with CLE programming, member-exclusive publications including the biweekly PTAB Roundup newsletter and Law Journal, a Patent Pro Bono Program for financially under-resourced inventors, and fourteen standing committees covering PTAB practice areas.

Product overview

The PTAB Bar Association operates as a professional membership organization offering a comprehensive suite of services for patent practitioners. The core offering includes the member website platform for accessing publications, managing membership, and registering for events. The association delivers value through two flagship events (Annual Conference and Thought Leader Summit), multiple publications (PTAB Roundup newsletter, Law Journal, Appellate Year in Review), and a Patent Pro Bono Program. The organization also facilitates professional development through 14 standing committees addressing various PTAB practice areas. All services are designed to support and connect attorneys, patent agents, and law students interested in PTAB practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Conference Flagship annual in-person event held in Washington, D.C., bringing together leading PTAB practitioners, Administrative Patent Judges, Federal Circuit judges, USPTO leadership, and industry stakeholders for CLE programming, panel discussions, and networking. Open to members and non-members with tiered registration fees.
• Thought Leader Summit Smaller educational event featuring CLE sessions, panel discussions, round table discussions, and networking opportunities with PTAB practitioners and judges. Held in Alexandria, VA, with sponsorship tiers ranging from $2,000 to $5,000.
• PTAB Roundup Newsletter Biweekly newsletter providing case updates, news, and developments in PTAB practice, available exclusively to association members via the member portal.
• PTAB Bar Association Law Journal Scholarly publication covering PTAB-related legal topics, published periodically with multiple issues per year and available to members.
• The Appellate Year in Review Annual publication reviewing significant appellate decisions and developments in PTAB practice, distributed to members.
• Patent Pro Bono Program Program matching solo inventors, inventor groups (up to four inventors), and inventor-owned small businesses who qualify financially with volunteer patent practitioners for free legal representation in ex parte appeals before the PTAB.
• Annual Membership (Regular, Judicial, Affiliate) Annual membership subscriptions for attorneys/patent agents (Regular), Administrative Patent Judges (Judicial), and law students/judicial clerks/non-judicial government employees (Affiliate). Membership unlocks publications, event discounts, committee participation, and voting rights for Regular members.

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ptabbar
• Facebookfacebook.com/PTABbarAssociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ptab-bar-association

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

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 PTAB Bar Association