What Association of Commercial Finance Attorneys does

The Association of Commercial Finance Attorneys (ACFA) is a nonprofit professional membership association founded in 1958 and headquartered in Newark, New Jersey, serving attorneys who specialize in middle-market commercial credit transactions and commercial bankruptcy. Its membership comprises in-house attorneys at banks, commercial finance companies, leasing companies, and factors, alongside private-practice attorneys described as national and international experts in the field, distributed across more than 30 U.S. states and a number of foreign countries. The organization markets itself as a select, elite group whose members actively participate in drafting, modifying, reforming, and interpreting commercial and insolvency law.

ACFA's core products are bundled under a single annual membership: (1) CLE Programs — five one-hour continuing legal education presentations held at Manhattan firms and conference centers, preceded by cocktail receptions; (2) CLEW (Continuing Legal Education Weekend) — an annual multi-day resort-based educational event for senior practitioners and families; (3) ListServ — a members-only email discussion forum on commercial debt matters; and (4) an extensive downloadable Educational Materials Library of PDFs covering UCC, bankruptcy, secured lending, intercreditor agreements, workouts, ethics, and related topics. ACFA is accredited by the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board, allowing CLE credits to be included in membership dues as a key value driver. The underlying technology is a standard WordPress-based association website with member login, event registration, and gated content distribution — there are no AI/ML, API, or proprietary platform components.

ACFA generates revenue almost exclusively through annual membership dues on a tiered subscription model: $300/year for attorneys five or more years out of law school, $150/year for those with less experience, $0 for judges and clerks, and $250 for in-house counsel new members who attended a qualifying webinar. CLE event costs are bundled into dues. There is no publicly disclosed revenue, headcount, sponsorship revenue, or institutional backing. Distribution is direct via the acfalaw.org website and in-person at Manhattan CLE events and the annual resort-based CLEW. The organization is member-governed through an elected Board of Directors and Executive Board, with current leadership under President Stephen V. Falanga (Walsh Pizzi O'Reilly Falanga LLP) for the 2025–2027 term.

Name

Association of Commercial Finance Attorneys

Legal name

The Association of Commercial Finance Attorneys, Inc.

Website

https://acfalaw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ACFA is a nonprofit professional membership association founded in 1958 for attorneys specializing in middle-market commercial credit and bankruptcy, offering annual dues-based access to CLE programs, a resort-based CLEW event, ListServ peer discussion, and a gated legal educational materials library.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Newark

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Membership Dues: ACFA generates revenue through annual membership dues. The membership fee structure includes tiered pricing based on experience level: $300/year for attorneys with five or more years since law school, $150/year for those with less than five years, $0 for judges and clerks, and $250 for in-house counsel new members who attended a webinar. The cost of CLE events is included in annual dues.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Association of Commercial Finance Attorneys (ACFA) is a professional membership association that sells annual membership subscriptions to attorneys specializing in middle-market commercial credit transactions and commercial bankruptcy matters. Its offering bundles an annual series of five one-hour CLE presentations held in Manhattan, a multi-day annual CLEW (Continuing Legal Education Weekend) at resorts, a member-only ListServ for peer discussion of commercial debt matters, and access to an extensive downloadable library of legal and educational materials covering bankruptcy, secured lending, UCC, intercreditor agreements, loan trading, and ethics.

Product overview

ACFA operates as a professional membership organization offering a single unified membership program rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering consists of ACFA Membership, which provides access to multiple interconnected services: CLE Programs (five annual one-hour presentations on commercial finance and bankruptcy topics), CLEW (an annual multi-day continuing legal education weekend at resorts), a ListServ for peer discussion and knowledge sharing, and an extensive Educational Materials Library of downloadable legal documents and presentations. All services are exclusive to members in good standing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ACFA Membership Annual professional membership in the Association of Commercial Finance Attorneys, providing access to the ListServ, educational materials library, CLE programs, and the annual CLEW event for attorneys specializing in commercial finance and bankruptcy law.
• CLE Programs (Continuing Legal Education)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Secured Finance Network (formerly Commercial Finance Association): The Secured Finance Network is the leading trade association for the asset-based lending and secured finance industry; many of its institutional members and their in-house counsel are also ACFA members, making it a sibling association serving the same commercial-finance ecosystem.
• American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI): ABI is a multi-stakeholder membership organization for the insolvency and bankruptcy community, offering annual conferences, CLE programming, and publications that overlap with ACFA's bankruptcy-focused content and member base.
• Practising Law Institute (PLI): PLI is the leading US provider of continuing legal education programs and publications, including deep coverage of commercial lending, bankruptcy, and corporate finance — directly competing with ACFA's CLE and CLEW programming for attorney mindshare and CLE dollars.
• Association of Insolvency & Restructuring Advisors (AIRA): AIRA is a membership organization for professionals specializing in turnaround consulting, restructuring, and insolvency — overlapping with ACFA's commercial bankruptcy members and offering competing certification, education, and networking programs.
• Turnaround Management Association (TMA): TMA is the premier international community for corporate restructuring professionals, hosting events and education for turnaround advisors, attorneys, and lenders — directly addressing the same workout and restructuring practice area that ACFA's commercial bankruptcy members serve.

Broad incumbents

• American Bar Association (ABA): The ABA is the largest US legal professional association, with broad CLE offerings and sections covering business law and bankruptcy; ACFA sits as a more specialized, peer-driven alternative within the same attorney-CLE market.
• New York State Bar Association (NYSBA): NYSBA is the principal state-level bar association for New York-licensed attorneys, offering CLE programming and section-level education that overlaps with ACFA's commercial finance and bankruptcy focus.

Regional players

• R3 (Restructuring and Recovery): R3 is the UK trade association for restructuring, insolvency, and recovery professionals, serving as a cross-border counterpart to ACFA and a potential partner or competitor in cross-border insolvency education.
• National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees (NABT): NABT is a US membership organization for Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 trustees; while more focused on the trustee side of bankruptcy practice, its membership overlaps with ACFA's commercial bankruptcy attorney base.

Emerging players

• American College of Bankruptcy: An honorary association of bankruptcy and insolvency professionals that provides fellowship and education among leading practitioners — a more elite, less broadly accessible counterpart to ACFA's commercial bankruptcy membership.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-association-of-commercial-finance-attorneys-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Association of Commercial Finance Attorneys