National Bar Association
The National Bar Association, founded in 1925 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit professional membership organization serving predominantly Black American attorneys, judges, and law students through a federated network of 12 U.S. regions and 50+ affiliate chapters with international affiliates in South Africa and Botswana.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1925
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What National Bar Association does
The National Bar Association (NBA), founded in 1925 and headquartered at 1816 12th St. NW, Washington, D.C., is a private nonprofit professional membership organization serving predominantly Black American attorneys, judges, law students, and legal affiliates. It operates as the nation's oldest and largest network of Black legal professionals, with a federated structure spanning 12 U.S. regional divisions, 50+ affiliate chapters, and international affiliates in South Africa and Botswana. The organization is governed by an elected leadership under President Ashley L. Upkins (83rd President, first woman from Tennessee in the role) and managed by Executive Director Elisha Rhodes.
Its core offerings are organized around a seven-tier membership program (Regular, Associate, Law Student/Pre-Law, Auxiliary, Retired, Life at $5,000 one-time, and Subscribing Life at $6,000 in installments), supported by 29 practice sections and divisions, an Annual Convention (101st scheduled for Nashville, July 2026), the annual Wiley A. Branton Issues Symposium, and a Career Center job board. The technology stack is built on commodity association infrastructure: a Webflow-hosted marketing site (nationalbar.org), a Member365 member portal, and a Naylor Association Solutions-powered job board (jobs.nationalbar.org) with tiered employer packages priced $525–$9,675.
Revenue is generated through membership dues, event registration fees, Career Center employer listings and Featured Employer packages, and corporate sponsorships via the 'I Stand With Justice' platform. The organization follows a community-led go-to-market motion, relying on word-of-mouth, regional/affiliate networks, and event-driven recruitment rather than paid marketing. Revenue, financials, and active paying member count are not publicly disclosed.
National Bar Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- National Bar Association
- Legal name
- National Bar Association
- Website
- https://nationalbar.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1925
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- The National Bar Association, founded in 1925 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit professional membership organization serving predominantly Black American attorneys, judges, and law students through a federated network of 12 U.S. regions and 50+ affiliate chapters with international affiliates in South Africa and Botswana.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
National Bar Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Legal Association Membership Services
- NAICS
- Business Associations (813910)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)
Keywords
Where National Bar Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
National Bar Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Life Membership Dues: One-time payment lifetime membership providing full membership benefits indefinitely. This represents the highest membership tier requiring a single $5,000 payment.
- Subscribing Life Membership Dues: Installment-based lifetime membership requiring $2,000 down payment followed by $2,000 per year for two years, totaling $6,000. Provides lifetime membership status once full commitment is met.
- Event Registration Fees: Revenue generated from annual conventions, the Wiley A. Branton Issues Symposium, and other professional events including registration fees for educational programming and CLE credits.
- Employer Job Listings and Featured Employer Packages: The career center generates revenue through job posting fees and Featured Employer branding packages ranging from $525-$6,950 for member employers, with discounted rates for NBA members.
- Sponsorships and Partnerships: Corporate sponsorships through the 'I Stand With Justice' platform and partnership opportunities with varying sponsorship tiers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Life Membership - One-time $5,000 payment for lifetime membership benefits |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Subscribing Life Membership - $6,000 total over 2 years ($2,000 down + $2,000/year) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Featured Employer packages - $525 to $6,950 for 30 days to 1 year |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
National Bar Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The National Bar Association is a nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1925 that provides multi-tiered membership programs, advocacy, networking, continuing legal education, and career services to predominantly Black American attorneys, judges, law students, and legal professionals. It operates a job board and career center, hosts an annual convention and the Wiley A. Branton Issues Symposium, and maintains 29 practice sections and divisions along with 12 regional divisions and 50+ affiliate chapters (including international affiliates in South Africa and Botswana).
Product overview
The National Bar Association operates a multi-component membership organization platform rather than a unified software product. Its primary offerings include: (1) nationalbar.org — the main association website providing membership enrollment, event registration, leadership information, and organizational governance; (2) the National Bar Association Career Center — a job board platform enabling job seekers to search/post resumes and employers to post positions with featured employer branding options; (3) a Career Learning Center offering professional development content; (4) multi-tiered membership programs spanning from law students to life members; and (5) events/conventions and specialized sections/divisions covering 26 legal practice areas. The platform is built and hosted by Naylor, Inc. and uses Google Analytics for performance tracking.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Membership Program Multi-tiered membership program offering seven membership categories: Regular, Associate, Law Student & Pre-Law, Auxiliary, Retired, Life ($5,000 one-time), and Subscribing Life ($6,000 in installments). Provides community, advocacy, professional development, voting rights, and networking for Black legal professionals.
- National Bar Association Career Center Online job board and career center platform connecting legal professionals with employment opportunities. Serves job seekers (resume posting, job search, job alerts) and employers (job postings, resume search, Featured Employer branding packages ranging from $525 to $6,950).
- Annual Convention and Symposia Recurring annual conventions, symposia, and regional events including the 101st Annual Convention (July 25-31, 2026 in Nashville, TN) and the annual Wiley A. Branton Issues Symposium, providing networking, professional development, and CLE programming for members.
- Sections and Divisions Program
Companies that use National Bar Association
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles7 records
National Bar Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
National Bar Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- NBA South Africa Bar AssociationcoreInternational affiliate chapter of the National Bar Association located in Washington, D.C., representing the NBA's global reach and connection to legal professionals in South Africa.
- Botswana Bar AssociationcoreInternational affiliate bar association, demonstrating the NBA's commitment to building global networks of predominantly Black legal professionals.
- Naylor Association SolutionscoreTechnology partner providing the software platform and hosting services for the National Bar Association Career Center (jobs.nationalbar.org). Naylor handles the job board infrastructure, resume database, and employer services on behalf of the NBA.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
National Bar Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA): Affinity-based national bar association advancing Hispanic legal professionals. Operates the same member-driven, conference-centric, regional-chapter model as the NBA but targets a different demographic.
- National LGBTQ+ Bar Association: National bar association serving LGBTQ+ legal professionals with annual Lavender Law® Conference and career center. Direct peer in mission-driven affinity bar association space.
- National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA): National affinity bar association serving Asian Pacific American attorneys and judges. Closely comparable structure, including annual conventions, practice sections, regional affiliates, and corporate sponsorship programs.
- National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL): Affinity-based organization promoting women in the legal profession. Comparable membership tiers, networking events, advocacy mission, and corporate partnership model.
- National Lawyers Guild: Mission-driven national bar association with progressive legal-advocacy focus. Similar member-funded nonprofit structure, advocacy orientation, and chapter network.
Broad incumbents
- American Bar Association: The largest U.S. legal professional association, offering comparable membership, CLE, advocacy, and event programs to all attorneys. It is a broader, more general incumbent to the NBA's specialized affinity model.
- Federal Bar Association: National association for federal practitioners with similar CLE, chapter, and event-driven model. Comparable in scale and program structure but focused on federal practice.
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL): Specialty national bar association for criminal defense lawyers running comparable membership, events, and advocacy programs. Lacks NBA's demographic focus but matches operating structure.
- American Association for Justice (AAJ): National association of trial lawyers with membership dues, annual conventions, CLE, and corporate sponsorship. Comparable scale and revenue model to NBA's broader operations.
Others
- National Legal Aid & Defender Association: Mission-aligned nonprofit supporting civil legal aid and public defense. Comparable nonprofit association structure and member-driven programmatic model, though focused on legal services access rather than affinity.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
National Bar Association social profiles
Digital presenceNational Bar Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
National Bar Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
National Bar Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
National Bar Association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about National Bar Association
What does National Bar Association do?
The National Bar Association is a nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1925 that provides multi-tiered membership programs, advocacy, networking, continuing legal education, and career services to predominantly Black American attorneys, judges, law students, and legal professionals. It operates a job board and career center, hosts an annual convention and the Wiley A. Branton Issues Symposium, and maintains 29 practice sections and divisions along with 12 regional divisions and 50+ affiliate chapters (including international affiliates in South Africa and Botswana).
Is National Bar Association a public or private company?
National Bar Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was National Bar Association founded?
National Bar Association was founded in 1925. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is National Bar Association based?
National Bar Association is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does National Bar Association make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Life Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are subscribing Life Membership Dues, event Registration Fees, employer Job Listings and Featured Employer Packages and sponsorships and Partnerships.
Who are National Bar Association's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA), National LGBTQ+ Bar Association, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) and National Lawyers Guild. Broad incumbents are American Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and American Association for Justice (AAJ). National Legal Aid & Defender Association is listed as an others.
Does National Bar Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for National Bar Association.
What industry is National Bar Association in?
National Bar Association's product category is Professional Legal Association Membership Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHACAA, Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies). Its NAICS code is 813910 and its SIC code is 8600.