The Sedona Conference

What The Sedona Conference does

The Sedona Conference (TSC) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) research and educational institute incorporated in Minnesota with its principal place of business in Phoenix, Arizona, founded in 1997 by attorney Richard Braman to advance the law through nonpartisan consensus commentaries and education for the bench and bar. TSC's core platform is the Working Group Series — currently 13 active Working Groups covering antitrust law, complex litigation, intellectual property rights, and data security and privacy law — which uses dialogue-based consensus processes to produce nonpartisan commentaries, principles, and best-practice guidance that are routinely cited in federal court opinions. The publication portfolio includes The Sedona Conference Journal (biannual scholarly journal), The Sedona Principles series (eDiscovery best practices, multiple editions since 2004), the Cooperation Proclamation, the Sedona Canada Principles (cross-border adaptation), the eDiscovery & Digital Information Management Glossary (now in its sixth edition), and specialized commentaries on mobile device data, collaboration platforms, IoT, privilege logs, cross-border discovery proportionality, international arbitration, and trade secrets.

TSC's business model is a hybrid of subscription-style membership and event-based fees. Revenue is generated from individual and corporate memberships (multi-seat), event registrations for annual meetings, midyear meetings, webinars, and specialized training programs such as the 2027 eDiscovery Negotiation Training, supplemented by publication sales, sponsorships, and donations. Its primary customer segments are practicing attorneys and litigators, federal and state judges, law students (supported via the Richard G. Braman Memorial Scholarship and Craig Weinlein Viewpoint Diversity Scholarship), and legal technology/information-governance professionals. Distribution is direct-to-member via the TSC website, with marketing and engagement supplemented through LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter/X, email newsletters, and in-person/virtual events. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors including retired federal judges and senior partners from major law firms, with professional staff led by Executive Director Susan McClain.

Name

The Sedona Conference

Legal name

The Sedona Conference

Website

https://thesedonaconference.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Sedona Conference is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) research and educational institute that runs 13 Working Groups producing nonpartisan consensus legal commentaries on antitrust, complex litigation, IP, and data privacy, funded by memberships, event fees, publications, sponsorships, and donations from attorneys, judges, law students, and legal technology professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership and Event Fees: The organization generates revenue through membership dues and registrations. Members pay fees to join the Working Group Series and pay meeting fees for attending events, annual meetings, and midyear meetings.
2. Publications and Educational Programs:

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Sedona Conference is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) research and educational institute that produces consensus-based legal commentaries, principles, and best practices on antitrust law, complex litigation, intellectual property rights, and data security and privacy law. Its core program is the Working Group Series, which uses dialogue-based processes to develop nonpartisan guidance for the bench and bar, supplemented by CLE-credited events, webinars, training programs, and a publications catalog.

Product overview

The Sedona Conference is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) research and educational institute that produces legal publications and hosts Working Groups focused on antitrust law, complex litigation, intellectual property rights, and data security and privacy law. The core product is the Working Group Series, which produces consensus commentaries, principles, and best practices through dialogue-based processes. Supporting publications include The Sedona Conference Journal, the Sedona Principles series for eDiscovery, the Cooperation Proclamation, and various specialized commentaries addressing emerging legal technology issues such as mobile device data, collaboration platforms, and the Internet of Things. The portfolio functions as a platform of specialized legal publications that work together to provide comprehensive guidance to the legal profession.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Working Group Series Membership-based program bringing together legal professionals, judges, and academics to study tipping-point legal issues and produce nonpartisan consensus commentaries and guidance for the bench and bar.
• The Sedona Conference Journal Scholarly journal covering advanced legal thought and research in the organization's areas of focus, including antitrust, complex litigation, intellectual property, and data security/privacy law.
• The Sedona Conference Glossary: eDiscovery & Digital Information Management, Sixth Edition Comprehensive glossary defining terminology used in electronic discovery and digital information management, providing standardized definitions for legal and technology professionals.
• The Sedona Conference Cooperation Proclamation

Quantifiable outcome

• The Sedona Principles have been cited in multiple federal court decisions including Rio Tinto PLC v. Vale S.A., Brown v. Bridges, and Kelley v. Smith's Food & Drug Centers.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Northwestern UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 April 2026Northwestern University conducted a survey in coordination with The Sedona Conference and the New York City Bar Association to understand how federal judges use AI tools. The survey found that only about one in five federal judges use AI tools with any regularity.
• New York City Bar AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 April 2026The New York City Bar Association partnered with Northwestern University and The Sedona Conference to conduct a survey on how federal judges use AI tools, revealing insights about legal-specific AI platforms versus general-purpose tools.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Defense Research Institute (DRI): Membership association for the civil defense bar that produces CLE, hosts annual and mid-year meetings, and publishes litigation-focused resources — directly comparable to TSC's complex litigation Working Group and bench-and-bar education model.
• American Bar Association: The largest US legal professional membership organization, operating similarly through committees/task forces, publishing scholarly journals and treatises, hosting CLE-accredited conferences, and producing widely-cited guidance for the bench and bar — directly comparable to TSC's consensus-driven Working Group model.
• American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA): US IP law bar association that convenes practitioners, produces position papers and amicus briefs, and hosts CLE conferences — directly comparable to TSC's intellectual property Working Group and its practitioner/bench-and-bar constituency.
• Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC): Global membership association for in-house counsel, offering CLE, publications, networking, and thought leadership on complex legal issues — comparable to TSC's practitioner base and event/publication-driven revenue model.
• International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP): Global professional association for privacy and data protection practitioners, operating through working groups, publishing certifications and standards, and hosting major conferences — directly comparable to TSC's data security and privacy Working Group output and membership-driven business model.
• American Association for Justice (AAJ): Plaintiff trial lawyer association offering CLE conferences, trial advocacy training, and policy publications — comparable to TSC's litigation practitioner constituency and educational/event-based value proposition.

Broad incumbents

• Federal Judicial Center: Federal judiciary's education and research agency, providing judicial education materials and serving as a career home for senior program staff (e.g., Kenneth Withers) — broader incumbent with overlapping judicial-education mission but government-funded scope.

Others

• Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT): Nonprofit think tank focused on data privacy, surveillance, and digital rights policy — thematically adjacent to TSC's data security and privacy Working Group but operates via advocacy and policy papers rather than practitioner consensus commentary.

Emerging players

• National Center for State Courts (NCSC): Nonprofit judicial education and court improvement organization serving state judges — comparable to TSC's federal/state judge engagement and judicial education programming (e.g., eDiscovery Negotiation Training), though more court-administration focused.
• International Association for Artificial Intelligence and Law (IAAIL): Scholarly society organizing conferences and publishing on AI-and-law topics, including ICAIL proceedings — comparable to TSC's emerging AI-in-judiciary work via the Northwestern/NYC Bar partnership, though more academic than practitioner-led.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tscsedona
• Facebookfacebook.com/SedonaConference
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-sedona-conference

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 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 The Sedona Conference