Colorado Bar Assocation

What Colorado Bar Assocation does

The Colorado Bar Association (CBA) is a private nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1897 and headquartered at 1290 Broadway, Suite 1700, Denver, Colorado. It serves nearly 16,000 attorneys, judges, law students, and legal practitioners in Colorado through membership services, professional development, advocacy, and public-facing legal resources. The CBA is governed by an elected Board of Governors and managed by Executive Director Nicoal C. Sperrazza with a staff of 11-50 employees.

Core products include the Colorado Lawyer monthly journal (a substantive state-bar journal), Decisis (a Colorado-specific legal research platform covering case law, statutes, and administrative codes), CBA-CLE continuing legal education (150+ programs annually across live, webcast, audio, video, and publication formats), the Licensed Lawyer public directory, CBA Jobs board, and CBA Thrive online community forum. The CBA also curates 25+ practice-area sections (Business Law, Family Law, Litigation, IP, etc.) and committees (Ethics, Legislative Policy, Diversity, Professionalism), plus a Knowledge Hub resource center. Strategic vendor partnerships extend the offering: Decisis for research, Smokeball for trust and billing software, Affinity Consulting Group for law practice management, and joint programming with the Denver Bar Association through a Professionalism Coordinating Council.

The revenue model is membership dues-driven, with annual subscriptions tiered by years since bar admission — from free (0-1 year) to $265 (16+ years), plus section dues of $15-$40 per section. Supplemental revenue comes from CLE program registrations (member-discounted), section memberships, advertising in Colorado Lawyer, and likely implicit commissions or referral fees from insurance and affinity partners. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the cobar.org website, the Denver office, and a network of 27 affiliated local bar associations; 25+ specialty and diversity bar associations extend the ecosystem. The CBA operates exclusively within Colorado and does not pursue geographic expansion.

Name

Colorado Bar Assocation

Legal name

Colorado Bar Association

Website

https://cobar.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Colorado Bar Association is a 1897-founded nonprofit professional membership organization in Denver serving nearly 16,000 Colorado attorneys, judges, and legal practitioners through tiered dues, CLE programs, the Decisis research platform, the Colorado Lawyer journal, sections, and a 27-local-bar association network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues charged to attorneys based on years since bar admission. Tiers range from free for 0-1 year to $265 for 16+ years. Additional fees for section memberships and local bar associations.
2. CLE Programs: Continuing Legal Education programs offered at discounted rates for members. Members receive discounts on registration and product purchases for live programs, webcasts, audio and video home studies, and publications.
3. Section Dues: Specialty section memberships with annual dues ranging from $15 (Agricultural & Rural Law) to $40 (Intellectual Property). Section dues are separate from general CBA membership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Colorado Bar Association is a nonprofit professional membership organization that sells annual membership subscriptions to attorneys, judges, and legal practitioners in Colorado. Members receive continuing legal education (150+ CLE programs annually), access to the Decisis legal research platform, the Colorado Lawyer journal, an online community forum, practice-area sections, ethics opinions, malpractice insurance discounts, and advocacy at the Colorado State Capitol. Tiered dues scale from free (0-1 year attorneys) to $265 (16+ years), with separate Section dues of $15-$40.

Product overview

Colorado Bar Association offers a suite of member services for Colorado attorneys, including the Colorado Lawyer journal, Decisis legal research platform, CBA-CLE continuing legal education programs, and the Licensed Lawyer directory. The association provides CBA Thrive as an online community platform, Law Practice Management Resources through Affinity Consulting partnership, and operates sections and committees across 25+ practice areas. Membership includes access to insurance benefits, job boards, and pro-bono opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Colorado Lawyer (Monthly Journal) A monthly journal providing in-depth substantive law articles, Colorado-specific practice tips, court summaries, and rule changes for CBA attorneys.
• Decisis Legal Research A legal research platform giving CBA members full access to Colorado case law, statutes, and administrative codes without additional fees; built for attorneys with a modern interface and advanced search.
• CBA-CLE Continuing Legal Education A continuing legal education program offering live programs, webcasts, audio and video home studies, and publications for Colorado attorneys at member-discounted pricing.
• Licensed Lawyer Directory An online public directory that lets CBA attorney members promote their practice and receive consumer referrals.
• CBA Jobs Board An online job board for legal career opportunities within the Colorado legal profession.
• CBA Thrive Online Community A members-only online forum where CBA attorneys can network, learn, discuss, and collaborate, with section-specific subcommunities.
• Smokeball Free Trust & Billing Software Free trust and billing software made available to CBA members through a partnership with Smokeball for law practice management.
• Affinity Law Practice Management Resources Law practice management and technology-related resources delivered through a partnership with Affinity Consulting Group for CBA members.
• CBA Practice Sections (27 sections) Practice-area sections with separate annual dues ($15-$40) covering specialty CLE programming and networking across 27 areas including Business Law, Family Law, IP, Litigation, Taxation, Trust & Estate, and others.
• CBA Member Insurance Benefits Member benefits program offering discounts on malpractice insurance, business services, financial services, personal services, and car rentals.
• Young Lawyers Division A CBA division for members under 37 or with less than five years in practice, providing CLEs, networking events, volunteer opportunities, and leadership pathways.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150+ CLE programs offered annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DecisiscoreTechnology or IntegrationDecisis is a legal research tool provided free to CBA members. It offers full access to case law, statutes, and administrative codes with no paywalls or hidden fees. The platform combines speed, clarity, and powerful search tools in a modern interface designed specifically for attorneys.
• Denver Bar AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Professionalism Coordinating Council that works to implement Principles of Professionalism among members of the Bar, and improve professional conduct by lawyers and judges. The Council sponsors a Speaker's Bureau and presents to law students about principles of professional behavior.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Illinois State Bar Association: Voluntary state bar for Illinois attorneys offering CLE, practice sections, and member benefits. Functionally analogous to CBA in size, mission, and product mix.
• The Florida Bar: Florida's integrated (mandatory) bar, operating CLE programming, sections, and a member journal. Comparable to CBA in product offering, though mandatory-membership model differs from CBA's voluntary structure.
• State Bar of Texas: Texas's integrated bar providing CLE, sections, and member services to Texas attorneys. Comparable to CBA in scope of services, although it carries mandatory membership.
• New York State Bar Association: A large voluntary state bar association providing CLE, sections, and member benefits to New York attorneys. Closely comparable in mission, structure, and product mix to CBA, but at significantly greater scale.
• Denver Bar Association: CBA's primary local affiliate and a closely intertwined metropolitan bar association. Shares member services, joint professionalism initiatives, and overlapping CLE programming with CBA, making it a direct operational peer.
• California Lawyers Association: The voluntary bar for California attorneys, providing sections, CLE, and publications. Structurally near-identical to CBA: a state-level voluntary legal professional association with tiered membership and practice-area sections.

Emerging players

• Practising Law Institute: A national nonprofit CLE and legal training provider that competes with CBA-CLE for member CLE spend. Comparable in that it is a nonprofit delivering accredited legal education, but operates at national scale without the membership-services layer.
• National Bar Association: A national bar association primarily serving African American attorneys and allies. Overlaps with CBA's mission of professional development, advocacy, and member services within a defined legal community segment.

Others

• Association of Legal Administrators: A professional association for legal administrators and law firm managers. Adjacent to CBA in that it serves the legal profession with education, certification, and member benefits, but targets a different persona (operations staff vs. practicing attorneys).

Broad incumbents

• American Bar Association: The national voluntary bar association for U.S. attorneys. Directly comparable to CBA as a membership-based legal professional organization providing CLE, publications, and member benefits, but at a national rather than state level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cobarassoc
• Facebookfacebook.com/ColoradoBarAssociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cobarassoc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Colorado Bar Assocation