Justinian Society of Lawyers

What Justinian Society of Lawyers does

The Justinian Society of Lawyers is a Chicago-based, non-profit professional bar association founded in 1921 that serves Italian-American lawyers, judges, and law students in Illinois. Its core offerings include membership with networking events, mentorship programs, an attorney directory, and an annual calendar of social and professional gatherings such as a golf outing and a scholarship dinner. The organization operates the Justinian Society Endowment Fund (JSEF), a 501(c)(3) charitable vehicle that administers the Children's Endowment Fund and provides law student scholarships; combined endowment accounts exceed $363,000. Revenue is generated through membership dues, event fees and sponsorships, merchandise sales (the Justinian Family Cookbook and the JSOL Apparel Store operated with The Promo Corp), and charitable donations.

The society's technology footprint is modest and limited to Wild Apricot, an off-the-shelf membership management SaaS that handles member records, event registration, and dues processing. Recent strategic activity has centered on membership growth (surpassing 300 members), geographic expansion through a DuPage Chapter and student chapters at area law schools, and ecosystem partnerships such as the agreement with the Illinois Italian American Judges Association. The 24th Annual Children's Endowment Fund Grant Reception on March 19, 2026 distributed $15,000 to three nonprofit organizations, illustrating the recurring charitable programming that complements member services. Leadership transitioned in May 2026 with Michael Bertucci installed as President following Catherine Caifano Locallo's tenure.

Name

Justinian Society of Lawyers

Legal name

Justinian Society of Lawyers

Website

https://justinians.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Justinian Society of Lawyers is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3)-eligible Italian-American bar association founded in 1921, serving approximately 300 lawyers, judges, and law students through membership, networking, mentorship, scholarship, and charitable grant programs in Illinois.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Bar Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSAAANAI

Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services

Financial & Insurance/Asset & Wealth Management/Trust & Fiduciary Services (Trust Companies, Estate & Custody Trusts)

SECONDARYBPAGAKAC

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

Keywords

• Legal bar association
• Professional membership organization
• Legal networking events
• Ethnic bar association
• Legal scholarship fund

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from attorney members providing recurring revenue stream for society operations and charitable initiatives.
2. Cookbook Sales: Sale of the Justinian Family Cookbook featuring over 50 recipes from members, with proceeds supporting the JSEF Scholarship Fund (501(c)(3) organization).
3. Donations: Tax-deductible donations to the Justinian Society Endowment Fund (501(c)(3) supporting Children's Endowment Fund (CEF), Law Scholarships, and General Fund.
4. Event Registration and Sponsorships: Revenue from golf outings, scholarship dinners, bocce tournaments, installation dinners, and other social/professional events. Includes sponsorship opportunities at various levels (Italian Flag Sponsorships: Green Level $2,750, White Level $1,500, Red Level $1,000).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Justinian Society of Lawyers is a nonprofit professional bar association founded in 1921 that serves Italian-American legal professionals through membership programs, networking events, mentorship opportunities, and charitable programs. The organization operates a 501(c)(3) endowment fund providing scholarships and children's grants, hosts events such as golf outings and dinners, and sells branded merchandise including a cookbook and apparel.

Product overview

The Justinian Society of Lawyers is a professional bar association offering membership services to Italian-American lawyers, along with charitable programs through its endowment fund. The core offerings include a membership program with access to professional networking, mentorship, and an attorney directory. The organization operates charitable initiatives including a Scholarship Fund and Children's Endowment Fund (both 501(c)(3) organizations), and sells merchandise including a family cookbook and apparel. The Society also organizes various events for members including golf outings, scholarship dinners, and installation ceremonies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $363,000 raised and distributed to Children's Endowment Fund and Scholarship Fund recipients

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• Illinois Italian American Judges AssociationcoreOthersCollaborating organization for Italian-American legal professionals; mentioned in connection with expanding membership and mentorship initiatives alongside the DuPage Justinian Chapter.
• DuPage Justinian ChaptercoreOthersRegional chapter expanding the society's reach into DuPage County; mentioned in connection with collaborative membership and mentorship growth initiatives.
• Romanucci & Blandin, LLCminorOthersLaw firm of Antonio M. Romanucci, founding partner who established the Children's Endowment Fund in 2002 during his presidency. The firm continues to be associated with CEF leadership through Frank A. Sommario.
• Wild ApricotcoreTechnology or IntegrationMembership software platform powering the Justinian Society website, member directory, event registration, and online store functionality.
• The Promo CorpminorOthersPromotional products partner for the JSOL online apparel store, creating merchandise for members with a portion of sales supporting endowment funds.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• American Bar Association: Largest U.S. national bar association with full member services portfolio; broad incumbent serving all attorneys with overlapping functions (membership, networking, sections, publications) but no heritage focus.
• Chicago Bar Association: Major metropolitan bar association serving the Chicago legal community with networking, CLE, and member programs; overlaps with Justinian on Chicago-based lawyer networking but serves the entire bar rather than a heritage segment.
• Illinois State Bar Association: Statewide mandatory/optional bar serving all Illinois attorneys; comparable in providing member services, networking, and CLE, but with an open (non-heritage) membership base and much larger scale.

Regional players

• Filipino American Lawyers Association of Chicago: Chicago-based heritage bar association serving Filipino-American attorneys; comparable community-led GTM and Chicago geographic footprint, though smaller and centered on a different heritage.

Direct peers

• National Association of Women Lawyers: Identity-based national bar association offering networking, mentorship, and recognition awards; mirrors Justinian's structure of fostering collegiality and professional development within a defined attorney segment.
• National Asian Pacific American Bar Association: National ethnic bar association for Asian Pacific American attorneys; directly comparable in mission, scholarship fund, mentorship programming, and chapter-based structure.
• National Italian American Bar Association: National-level Italian-American bar association serving attorneys of Italian heritage across the U.S.; directly comparable to Justinian Society as a heritage-focused bar association, with broader geographic reach.
• Hispanic National Bar Association: National ethnic/identity-based bar association promoting Hispanic legal professionals; closely analogous business model to Justinian in serving a heritage-defined attorney segment, scholarship pipeline, and annual convention/events.

Others

• Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America: Italian-American fraternal/heritage organization with lodge-based structure, scholarships, and community events; comparable heritage-mission-driven nonprofit model though not a legal-professional society.
• Justinian Society of Medicine (or similar heritage professional societies): Other 'Justinian'-named heritage professional societies (e.g., in medicine or engineering); thematically related via Italian-American heritage professional association model, though serving different professions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/JustinianSocietyofLawyersofIL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/justiniansocietyoflawyers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

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 Justinian Society of Lawyers