The Lawfare Institute

What The Lawfare Institute does

The Lawfare Institute is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization (EIN: 46-2967640) headquartered in Washington, D.C., that publishes non-partisan analysis of national security law and policy under the brand name 'Lawfare.' The organization operates a digital publishing platform at lawfaremedia.org covering twelve topic areas including Armed Conflict, Congress, Courts & Litigation, Cybersecurity & Tech, Executive Branch, Intelligence, and Surveillance & Privacy. Its editorial leadership comprises Benjamin Wittes (Editor-in-Chief) and Tyler McBrien (Managing Editor), supported by credentialed contributors.

The Institute's core products span written articles, twelve-plus podcast series (including Lawfare Daily, Rational Security, Escalation, Scaling Laws, The Aftermath, and The Regulators), video content (notably the SITU Research-partnered 'Deportation, Inc.' series), and several interactive trackers. Notable trackers include the Trump Administration Litigation Tracker (333+ active cases), the Government Non-Compliance in Habeas Corpus Cases Tracker, the Domestic Deployments of the U.S. Military Tracker, and the Section 230 Legislation Tracker (co-built with UNC-Chapel Hill). It has also published 61 transcripts from the Fulton County special purpose grand jury investigation and operates a multiyear Security by Design research initiative. Content is distributed freely across owned web, Substack newsletters, RSS, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and major social platforms.

The business model is donation- and sponsorship-driven: all content is offered free to readers, with revenue generated from individual donations, Patreon memberships, Substack subscriptions, branded merchandise (via thelawfarestore.com), and corporate sponsorship packages. Flagship commercial partnership is with Morrison Foerster on The Regulators podcast. The organization serves a horizontal audience spanning policy professionals, legal scholars, journalists, and informed citizens interested in national security law.

Name

The Lawfare Institute

Legal name

The Lawfare Institute

Website

https://lawfaremedia.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Lawfare Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that publishes non-partisan analysis of national security law and policy through articles, podcasts, video series, and interactive legal trackers, serving policymakers, legal professionals, scholars, and engaged citizens.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online National Security Policy Media

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Government & Public Policy Publishing (Regulations, Gazettes, Legislative Tracking) (MPAJACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Compliance & Risk Intelligence Publishing (KYC/AML, ESG, Cyber, Privacy) (MPAJACAC), Political & Public Affairs Channels (MPABAIAC)

Keywords

• National security law
• Legal policy analysis
• Multimedia journalism
• Online publication
• Podcast production

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations supporting non-partisan national security journalism. The Lawfare Institute is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization (EIN: 46-2967640). Donations accepted via givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.
2. Lawfare Patreon/Membership: Material supporter program through Patreon offering recurring membership benefits to supporters
3. Lawfare Substack Subscription: Newsletter subscriptions through Substack platform including Today on Lawfare (daily) and The Week That Was (weekly)
4. Lawfare Store Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including mugs, shirts, bags, hats, and onesies through thelawfarestore.com
5. Corporate Sponsorship: Sponsorship packages available for organizations seeking to reach Lawfare's thoughtful audience on national security policy

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Lawfare Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that publishes non-partisan analysis of national security law and policy through an online publication, multiple podcasts (including Lawfare Daily, Rational Security, Escalation, The Aftermath, Allies, The Regulators, Chatter, and Arbiters of Truth), newsletters (Today on Lawfare and The Week That Was), interactive trackers covering litigation and government activity, original research initiatives, video series, and live programming.

Product overview

Lawfare is a non-profit multimedia publication dedicated to 'Hard National Security Choices,' providing non-partisan analysis through written content, podcasts, and video content. The organization operates primarily as a content platform offering multiple podcast series (Lawfare Daily, Rational Security, No Bull, Escalation, Scaling Laws, The Aftermath, Allies) and video investigative series (Deportation, Inc.). Lawfare also maintains several tracking and research projects including the Trump Administration Litigation Tracker, Domestic Deployments Tracker, Government Non-Compliance in Habeas Corpus Cases Tracker, Section 230 Tracker, Security by Design initiative, and the Fulton County Grand Jury Transcripts. The organization distributes content through newsletters (Substack, LinkedIn) and RSS feeds, and operates a merchandise store.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lawfare Daily: Daily audio production featuring interviews with policymakers, scholars, journalists, and analysts on national security law and policy
• Rational Security
• Lawfare No Bull
• Scaling Laws
• Escalation
• The Aftermath
• The Regulators
• Chatter
• Arbiters of Truth
• #LiveFromUkraine

Products and services

• Lawfare Online Publication (Articles)

Quantifiable outcome

• 333 active litigation cases tracked in Trump Administration Litigation Tracker
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and major.

• Goat RodeocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoat Rodeo serves as the production partner for multiple Lawfare podcast series including Escalation (narrative podcast on U.S.-Ukraine relations), Allies (20-year story of U.S. Afghan translators), and The Aftermath (narrative series on January 6 government response). The collaboration produces high-quality narrative audio content.
• Morrison FoersterflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMorrison Foerster co-sponsors The Regulators podcast series, a podcast in which Lawfare Senior Editors sit down with senior officials implementing economic statecraft policies, providing expert legal analysis on regulatory developments.
• Center on Technology Policy at UNC-Chapel HillcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLawfare partners with the Center on Technology Policy at UNC-Chapel Hill to track Congressional proposals to reform Section 230. The tracker summarizes all proposals introduced in Congress since 2020, including date, sponsors, status, and links to full text.
• SITU ResearchmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLawfare partnered with SITU Research to produce 'Deportation, Inc.,' a series of short investigative videos examining how U.S. immigration enforcement has evolved into a multi-billion-dollar industry shaped by private profit and political power.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Foreign Policy Magazine: Foreign Policy is a long-established print and digital publication covering global affairs, national security, and foreign policy. It is a broader incumbent competitor with overlapping audience (policy professionals, engaged citizens) and editorial focus, operating at significantly larger scale than Lawfare.
• Reason Magazine: Reason is a libertarian-leaning magazine covering policy, law, civil liberties, and government overreach including national security topics. It is a broader incumbent with overlapping editorial coverage of surveillance, civil liberties, and constitutional law, and now hosts The Volokh Conspiracy legal commentary blog.
• The Daily Beast: The Daily Beast is a digital news outlet covering politics, opinion, and national affairs including legal and national security stories. It is a broader incumbent with overlapping coverage of Trump administration litigation and national security matters, competing for the same engaged-citizen segment of Lawfare's audience.
• Foreign Affairs: Foreign Affairs is the Council on Foreign Relations' flagship bimonthly magazine covering U.S. foreign policy and international relations with rigorous, non-partisan analysis. It is a broader incumbent in the same national-security/foreign-policy editorial space, with an established subscription model and institutional reach that dwarfs Lawfare's.
• Politico: Politico is a major political journalism outlet covering policy, legislation, and national politics including legal affairs. It is a broader incumbent with overlapping coverage of executive-branch actions, congressional activity, and litigation that Lawfare covers, with substantially greater scale and resources.

Direct peers

• War on the Rocks: War on the Rocks is a multimedia national security analysis platform featuring articles, podcasts (including Sit-Rep), and events covering defense, foreign policy, and national security. It directly competes with Lawfare for the same national-security-focused audience and offers a comparable mix of written analysis, podcasts, and multimedia editorial.
• Just Security: Just Security is an online forum hosted at NYU Law covering national security law and policy with non-partisan analysis, articles, and expert commentary. It is the most direct competitor to Lawfare in editorial positioning, audience (legal/policy professionals), and content format, and competes for the same citation share and donor/sponsorship dollars.
• The Volokh Conspiracy: The Volokh Conspiracy is a long-running legal commentary blog featuring academic legal analysis on constitutional, regulatory, and policy topics, now hosted at Reason. It overlaps with Lawfare in providing authoritative legal/policy commentary to lawyers and policy professionals, though with a broader legal scope beyond national security.

Emerging players

• The Intercept: The Intercept is an investigative journalism outlet with strong national security and civil liberties coverage, often covering surveillance, intelligence, and government accountability. It is a partial-overlap peer sharing Lawfare's audience interest in national security, civil liberties, and government transparency, though with a more investigative and advocacy-oriented editorial stance.
• Law & Crime: Law & Crime is a legal news and true-crime media outlet covering high-profile trials, criminal law, and legal analysis. It overlaps with Lawfare in providing accessible coverage of major Trump-era trials and legal proceedings, though it skews more toward criminal trial coverage and broader audience entertainment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lawfare
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@lawfaremedia
• Facebookfacebook.com/Lawfareblog
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-lawfare-institute

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 The Lawfare Institute