National Association of Counsel for Children

What National Association of Counsel for Children does

The National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional membership and advocacy organization founded in 1977 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado. NACC serves child welfare legal professionals across the United States, including children's attorneys, parents' attorneys, agency and government attorneys, judges, and law students, with the mission of improving legal representation for children and families in dependency proceedings. Its most consequential product is the Child Welfare Law Specialist (CWLS) certification program, launched in 2006 with federal grant funding, which NACC administers as the only ABA-accredited national certification of its kind, processing applications through the Certemy platform and proctored exams via Examplify. The organization generates revenue through six streams: individual and organizational membership dues, CWLS certification and recertification fees ($400-$525 application, $120 annual renewal, $300 five-year recertification), multi-format training programs (Foundations of Child Welfare Law at $300 asynchronous, custom onsite engagements), publication sales (The Red Book 4th Edition at $199, Children's Law Office Guidebook at $50, Conference To Go at $275), annual conference registration ($275-$850), and charitable donations through the Children's Justice Fund and multiple giving platforms.

NACC's product portfolio extends beyond certification and training to include The Guardian law journal, The Advocate newsletter, the annual National Child Welfare Law Conference (49th edition in Portland 2026, 50th anniversary in Denver 2027), resource hubs focused on racial equity and policy, the "Your Case, Your Rights" self-advocacy guide for foster youth, an amicus curiae program, and consulting services delivered through partnerships with Casey Family Programs and the National Legal and Judicial Child Welfare Center for Innovation and Advancement. Distribution combines direct membership and certification sales through the NACC website, e-commerce publication sales (including digital distribution via Practising Law Institute), event-based registration, and third-party donation platforms (Charity Navigator, Benevity, Colorado Gives Day, PayPal Giving Fund). The organization operates with a small 1-10 person staff and a network of state coordinators, a National Advisory Council, and a Board of Directors that collectively extend its national footprint across 46 states.

Name

National Association of Counsel for Children

Legal name

National Association of Counsel for Children

Website

https://naccchildlaw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Professional Certification and Training

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Business Associations (813910), Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Legal Services (541199)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG)

Keywords

• Child welfare law
• Legal certification programs
• Professional legal training
• Legal advocacy organization
• Social services membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Individual memberships provide access to The Guardian law journal, member webinars, listserv, annual conference discounts, and discounts on trainings, CWLS certification, and publications. Organizational memberships available for institutions.
2. CWLS Certification: Child Welfare Law Specialist certification generates revenue through application fees ($400 members, $525 non-members), annual renewals ($120), and recertification fees ($300 every five years). NACC is the only ABA-accredited organization to certify attorneys as Child Welfare Law Specialists.
3. Training and Webinars: Foundations of Child Welfare Law training offered in multiple formats (asynchronous online, live online, in-person). Webinars free for members, $45 for non-members. Multi-session courses and onsite custom trainings available for state and local jurisdictions.
4. Publications and Products: Sale of Child Welfare Law and Practice (The Red Book, 4th Edition) at $199 hardcopy/$199 digital, Children's Law Office Guidebook at $50, Conference To Go 2024 at $275, and various other publications. Merchandise also available.
5. Conference Registration: Annual National Child Welfare Law Conference generates revenue through registration fees. Portland 2026: $495-$850 depending on membership status and registration timing. Online Conference 2026: $275-$600. Pre-conference trainings additional fees.
6. Donations and Charitable Contributions: NACC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID 84-0743810) that accepts donations through the Children's Justice Fund. Donations support advocacy, training, and legal protections for children. Multiple giving options including monthly donations, IRA contributions, donor advised funds, securities, and legacy giving.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional membership organization that provides the ABA-accredited Child Welfare Law Specialist (CWLS) certification, comprehensive training programs and webinars, professional publications (including "The Red Book"), and the annual National Child Welfare Law Conference for attorneys, judges, and advocates working in child welfare law.

Product overview

The National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) is a professional membership and advocacy organization that offers a multi-product portfolio centered around child welfare law excellence. The core offerings include the Child Welfare Law Specialist (CWLS) Certification program (ABA-accredited), comprehensive training programs (Foundations of Child Welfare Law and Practice in multiple formats), professional publications (The Red Book, The Guardian Law Journal, The Advocate), and the annual National Child Welfare Law Conference. Supporting products include the Your Case, Your Rights self-advocacy guide for foster youth, resource libraries and hubs (Race Equity, Student, Policy), CLE accreditation services, statewide assessments, amicus curiae advocacy, and membership programs (Individual, Organizational, Platinum). The organization also provides custom and onsite training, member webinars, and consulting services through partnerships with Casey Family Programs and other child welfare organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Child Welfare Law Specialist (CWLS) Certification ABA-accredited specialty certification for attorneys practicing in child welfare law; verifies expertise through examination and case experience requirements, recognized as the leading credential in the field.
• National Child Welfare Law Conference Annual multi-day conference delivering CLE sessions, plenary programming, and networking opportunities for child welfare lawyers, judges, and advocates across the United States.
• The Red Book Authoritative treatise and desk reference providing substantive law, procedure, and practice guidance for lawyers representing children, parents, and child welfare agencies.
• Professional Training and Webinars On-demand and live CLE training programs, webinars, and workshops covering trial skills, appellate advocacy, ethics, and substantive law for child welfare practitioners.
• Professional Membership Annual membership program providing attorneys and child welfare professionals with access to member benefits, advocacy updates, discounted training and certification fees, and member-only resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• CWLS certified attorneys outperform non-certified attorneys on the majority of nearly two-dozen quality indicators in child welfare legal representation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Casey Family ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026NACC provides consulting services to Casey Family Programs initiatives to transform legal representation for children and parents and build a national network committed to a 21st Century Child Welfare System. This partnership also supports engagement with lived experience experts on NACC's National Advisory Council on Children's Legal Representation. Casey Family Programs also sponsors the Self-Compassion Hike at annual conferences.
• National Legal and Judicial Child Welfare Center for Innovation and Advancement (CLJIA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026NACC provides consulting services to CLJIA, supporting training to attorneys and judges, providing substantive expertise and guidance to state court improvement programs, and collaborating on capacity-building efforts.
• Family Justice InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026National collaborative of children's attorneys, parents' attorneys, educators, researchers, national policy advocates, and lived experience experts working to increase access to high-quality legal representation for children and parents in child welfare cases.
• Every Kid Needs a Family (NCSC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership with National Center for State Courts to provide information and advocacy tools to assist judges, attorneys, and advocates in making decisions regarding the placement of children in the least-restrictive, most family-like setting possible.
• American Bar Association (ABA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026ABA accredits NACC as the only national organization to certify attorneys as Child Welfare Law Specialists. ABA defines child welfare law for certification purposes as the practice of law representing children, parents or the government in all child protection proceedings.
• National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026NCJFCJ has formally endorsed NACC's CWLS certification program, recognizing the value of specialized certification for attorneys practicing in juvenile and family court matters.
• Conference of Chief Justices/Conference of State Court Administrators (CCJ/COSCA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026CCJ and COSCA jointly endorse NACC's CWLS certification program, providing judicial system support for the credential's value in improving child welfare legal representation.
• U.S. Children's BureaucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Federal government agency that originally funded the creation of the CWLS certification program in 2006 and continues to endorse the program as part of efforts to improve child welfare legal representation nationwide.
• Children's Lawyers ConnectminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026NACC-facilitated inclusive group of children's lawyers from around the country who meet quarterly to share news, resources and conversation around topics of interest to the children's law community.
• Conference Sponsors and ExhibitorsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Various organizations sponsor and exhibit at NACC's annual National Child Welfare Law Conference, including Sapphire Sponsors (Justice for Kids, Sunlight), Gold Sponsors (Dave Thomas Foundation, Baker McKenzie, Filevine), Silver Sponsor (Casey Family Programs), and Bronze Sponsors (Soberlink, HopSkipDrive, The Imprint).
• Cross Sector Advocates GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026NACC facilitates a monthly meeting of policy advocates and attorneys working in child welfare, youth justice, and homeless youth sectors to align and amplify advocacy priorities and messaging strategies.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Child Welfare League of America: CWLA is a national child-welfare membership and advocacy organization offering conferences, publications, and standards for public and private agencies. It is a direct competitor in the child-welfare professional association space with overlapping membership and policy missions.
• National Association of Social Workers: NASW is the largest U.S. professional membership association for social workers, offering specialty credentials, CE training, publications, and an annual conference. It is a direct peer in operating a multi-product, dues- and credential-funded professional association model in an adjacent human-services field.
• National Legal Aid & Defender Association: NLADA is a national membership organization for civil legal aid and public defense providers with a comparable model of training, conferences, publications, and advocacy. It overlaps directly with NACC's parent-attorney and children's-attorney constituencies in the public-interest legal space.
• National Center for State Courts: NCSC is a national organization supporting state court systems and a direct NACC partner through the 'Every Kid Needs a Family' initiative. It shares NACC's member-driven, conference-and-training model and overlapping judicial stakeholder base.
• National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges: NCJFCJ is a national judicial membership organization that has formally endorsed NACC's CWLS program. It is a peer in running annual conferences, training, and standards-setting for professionals working in juvenile and family courts.

Broad incumbents

• American Bar Association: The ABA is the national professional association for the U.S. legal profession and the accreditor of NACC's CWLS program. It is a direct comparator as a large, multi-section legal membership organization offering accreditation, publications, conferences, and continuing legal education.
• Casey Family Programs: Casey Family Programs is a major operating foundation focused on child welfare and a core consulting partner of NACC. It is comparable as a national child-welfare institution that funds, designs, and convenes training, convenings, and field-building initiatives.
• American Psychological Association: APA is a large professional association for psychologists with analogous member benefits — journals, CE, specialty credentials, and an annual convention. It is a broad incumbent peer demonstrating the scale NACC could potentially reach within a single specialty profession.

Emerging players

• National Association for Court Management: NACM is a national professional association for court administrators with a similar training, conference, and certification model. It is a partial comparator as a court-systems-adjacent professional association that intersects with NACC's judicial ecosystem.

Regional players

• National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators: NAPCWA is a U.S. national membership association for state and county child welfare agency leaders. It overlaps with NACC's agency-attorney and state-court-improvement constituencies and competes for sponsorship and conference attention within the same child-welfare audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-association-of-counsel-
• Xx.com/naccchildlaw
• Facebookfacebook.com/National-Association-of-Counsel-fo

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Association of Counsel for Children