Manitoba Bar Association

What Manitoba Bar Association does

The Manitoba Bar Association (MBA) is the Manitoba provincial branch of the Canadian Bar Association and a non-profit professional membership association serving more than 1,300 legal professionals across the province. Headquartered in Winnipeg with a staff of approximately seven, the MBA operates a portfolio of core services including CBA Membership with tiered annual dues from $19.05 (law school students) to $678 (practicing lawyers and judges), a Find-a-Lawyer public directory, the Headnotes & Footnotes newsletter published ten times per year, a Mentorship Program, and the annual Mid-Winter Conference delivering 12 hours of mandatory CPD credits including Ethics and Law Practice Management. Its technology footprint is minimal: no proprietary platform, app, or API is disclosed, with member services delivered through the cba-mb.ca website and the CBA national cbaapps.org enrollment portal. Revenue is generated almost entirely through recurring annual membership dues, supplemented by event revenue and community programming such as the Lawyers Play annual co-production with Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (running since 1990 and raising over $1.1 million cumulatively) and the Will Week public education initiative run jointly with The Winnipeg Foundation and the Public Guardian and Trustee. The organization complements its dues-driven model with strategic coordination partners including the Law Society of Manitoba (mandatory CPD alignment), the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law (Asper Initiative), and the Manitoba Law Foundation (program funding), positioning MBA as the connective infrastructure for Manitoba's legal profession rather than a technology or product vendor.

Name

Manitoba Bar Association

Legal name

Manitoba Bar Association

Website

https://cba-mb.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Manitoba Bar Association is a Winnipeg-based non-profit professional membership association and Manitoba branch of the Canadian Bar Association, serving 1,300+ lawyers, students, judges, and in-house counsel through tiered annual dues, CPD programming, advocacy, and community initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Winnipeg

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The MBA generates revenue primarily through annual membership dues from lawyers at various career stages. Fees range from $19.05 (law students) to $678 (experienced practicing lawyers and judges) plus applicable taxes. The association offers multiple membership categories including experienced practicing, retired, early career, in-house, articling students, law school students, academics, and judges.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Manitoba Bar Association is a non-profit professional membership association that provides legal professionals in Manitoba with access to professional development programming (CPD courses, webinars, conferences), advocacy on legal policy issues, networking opportunities, mentorship programs, and community engagement initiatives. Members pay annual dues and receive benefits including access to the Find-a-Lawyer directory, the Headnotes & Footnotes newsletter, member savings, and inclusion in the Canadian Bar Association's pan-Canadian network.

Product overview

The Manitoba Bar Association (MBA) operates as a provincial branch of the Canadian Bar Association, offering a membership-based platform for legal professionals rather than a technology product. The core offerings include CBA Membership with benefits such as professional development access, the Find-a-Lawyer Directory, Mentorship Program, and Headnotes & Footnotes publication. Additional programs include Will Week (free estate planning presentations), the annual Lawyers Play community fundraiser with Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, and the Mid-Winter Conference providing mandatory CPD hours. These services are delivered through the association's website and member portal without a unified software platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CBA Membership
• Professional Development Programs
• Mentorship Program
• Mid-Winter Conference
• Will Week
• Lawyers Play

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1.1 million raised for Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre and Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival since 1990
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Royal Manitoba Theatre CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990Long-standing flagship partnership since 1990 for the annual Lawyers Play production. MBA members serve as cast while Royal MTC provides professional production resources. Has raised over $1.1 million to date for the Royal MTC and Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival.
• The Winnipeg FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual collaboration for Will Week, a series of free public presentations on the importance of wills and estate planning during the last week of April.
• Public Guardian and TrusteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual collaboration for Will Week, working with the Public Guardian and Trustee to provide free public presentations on wills and estate planning.
• University of Manitoba Faculty of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting the Asper Initiative for International Business and Trade Law, including clinical programming, student experiential opportunities, and the Asper Chair position.
• Canadian Bar AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMBA is the Manitoba branch of the national Canadian Bar Association, providing access to pan-Canadian legal community, national advocacy, and 13 provincial/territorial branches.
• Asper School of Business (University of Manitoba)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Asper School of Business for the Asper Initiative, fostering interdisciplinary programming between law and business in international trade law.
• CBA Well-Being InitiativesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational CBA program promoting healthy living and mental health for legal professionals with dedicated subcommittee and resources.
• Law Society of ManitobacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing mandatory continuing professional development requirements including the Mid-Winter Conference for Manitoba lawyers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Bar Association: Large national voluntary bar association in the U.S. Comparable in mission (membership, CPD, advocacy, sections) but operates at vastly greater scale across a different jurisdiction.

Direct peers

• Canadian Bar Association – Québec: Quebec branch of the CBA providing French-language CPD, sections, and member services. Comparable voluntary bar association model, though operating within Quebec's distinct civil-law jurisdiction.
• Canadian Bar Association – Alberta: Alberta branch of the CBA offering the same suite of membership, CPD, and advocacy services to Alberta lawyers. Closely analogous in scope and structure to the MBA.
• Canadian Bar Association – British Columbia: British Columbia branch of the CBA. Functions as a provincial voluntary bar association with CPD programming, sections, and member services comparable to MBA's offerings.
• Canadian Bar Association (National): The national parent organization of the MBA. Operates as a national voluntary bar association offering membership, advocacy, and CPD to Canadian lawyers, with the MBA functioning as its Manitoba branch.
• Canadian Bar Association – Saskatchewan: Saskatchewan branch of the CBA, operating in a neighbouring Prairie province with a similar member profile and analogous programming model.
• Ontario Bar Association: Largest provincial branch of the Canadian Bar Association. Provides CPD, sections, advocacy, and member services to Ontario lawyers through a comparable membership-based model.

Others

• Law Society of Manitoba: Statutory regulator of lawyers in Manitoba. Not a voluntary membership association, but a key partner that mandates the CPD hours MBA helps deliver, making it a strategically adjacent organization.
• Canadian Corporate Counsel Association: National CBA-affiliated association serving in-house counsel in Canada. In-house MBA members receive automatic CCCA enrollment, making it a complementary peer within the same CBA ecosystem.
• Federation of Law Societies of Canada: National body coordinating Canada's provincial and territorial law societies. Adjacent to MBA's mission in shaping legal profession standards and mobility, though operating as an umbrella regulator rather than a membership association.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mbbarassn
• Facebookfacebook.com/CanadianBarAssociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/manitoba-bar-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/mb.bar.assn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Manitoba Bar Association