National LGBTQ+ Bar Association

What National LGBTQ+ Bar Association does

The National LGBTQ+ Bar Association is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association founded in 1989 (originally as the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association) and headquartered in Washington, DC, operating with a 16-employee team. It functions as the self-described "legal voice of the LGBTQ+ community," serving approximately 1,700+ members who are LGBTQ+ attorneys, allied legal professionals, law students, and in-house corporate counsel. Its product portfolio centers on tiered individual membership ($40–$200/year based on career stage, with an additional Family Law Institute® tier), the annual Lavender Law® Conference & Career Fair (2,000+ attendees, described as the largest LGBTQ+ legal conference in the country), and specialized programs including the Family Law Institute® (a 2009-founded joint venture with the National Center for LGBTQ+ Rights), the Workplace Inclusion Project, the Trans in BigLaw Monthly Networking Program, the Law Student Congress, judicial development programs, and an online job board.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: subscription-style membership dues, conference registration fees and corporate sponsorships, and a DEI Consulting Practice serving law firms and corporations. Distribution occurs through direct website membership (processed via a Bloomerang CRM portal), state and local bar affiliates (offering 50% discounted membership to their members), law school student group affiliates (also 50% discounted), and the rotating-city annual conference. The organization maintains a separate National LGBTQ+ Bar Foundation entity for charitable activities including scholarships and grants.

The underlying technology is minimal and not a differentiator: the association delivers its value through in-person events, human-mediated advocacy, and content/CLE programming rather than software products. Its competitive position rests on network density (1,700+ members, 2,000+ annual conference attendees), three decades of brand heritage, a registered "Lavender Law®" trademark, and a multi-tier affiliate ecosystem spanning US states and international committees (Australia, Central America, Europe, UK/Ireland, Canada). Governance is provided by an elected Board of Directors (President Frederick Sultan, President-Elect Rebekah Scherr, Treasurer Greg Fosheim, Secretary Cat Kozlowski) with no private equity, venture, or public ownership.

Name

National LGBTQ+ Bar Association

Legal name

The National LGBTQ+ Bar Association

Website

https://lgbtqbar.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The National LGBTQ+ Bar Association is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association, founded in 1989 and headquartered in Washington, DC, serving 1,700+ LGBTQ+ and allied legal professionals and law students through tiered membership, the annual Lavender Law® Conference & Career Fair, advocacy, and a DEI consulting practice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Legal Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Consumer Rights & Public Interest Advocacy (BPAGAFAK)

Keywords

• Legal professional association
• LGBTQ+ legal network
• Professional membership
• Legal education
• Diversity advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues tiered by career stage - Law students ($40), Retired/Young lawyers ($50), Mid-career professionals ($100), Senior professionals ($200), plus Family Law Institute additional dues based on income levels ($20-$75). Nonprofit trade association under IRC Section 501(c)(6).
2. Conference Revenue: Annual Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair generates revenue through registration fees and corporate sponsorships. Sponsors reach 2,000+ LGBTQ+ legal professionals.
3. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships at annual conference with multiple tiers. Sponsors include law firms and corporations demonstrating LGBTQ+ diversity commitment. Development contact available via Director of Development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The National LGBTQ+ Bar Association is a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade association that provides membership, networking, continuing legal education (CLE), career development, and advocacy services to LGBTQ+ legal professionals, law students, and allied attorneys. Its flagship offering is the annual Lavender Law® Conference & Career Fair, complemented by tiered individual memberships, the LGBT Family Law Institute®, practice-area groups, a job board, and a DEI consulting practice for law firms and corporations.

Product overview

The National LGBTQ+ Bar Association operates as a membership-based professional association offering a portfolio of programs and services for LGBTQ+ legal professionals and allies. Its core offerings include the annual Lavender Law® Conference & Career Fair (the largest LGBTQ+ legal conference in the country), tiered membership programs with benefits such as networking, CLE credits, and job board access, and specialized initiatives like the Family Law Institute® (a joint venture with the National Center for LGBTQ+ Rights), the Workplace Inclusion Project, Trans in BigLaw networking meetings, and Law Student Congress. Additional services include a job board, judicial development programs, awards recognition, and DEI consulting practice for law firms and corporations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Family Law Institute: A joint venture with the National Center for LGBTQ+ Rights providing a network for experienced LGBTQ+ family law practitioners
• Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair
• Workplace Inclusion Project
• Trans in BigLaw Monthly Networking Program
• Law Student Congress
• DEI Consulting Practice

Products and services

• Lavender Law® Conference & Career Fair The largest LGBTQ+ legal conference in the country, hosted annually with over 2,000 attendees. Features career fair, 40+ CLE workshops, networking events, and awards ceremonies for LGBTQ+ legal professionals, law students, and corporate counsel.
• Membership Program Professional membership organization offering tiered annual membership for LGBTQ+ attorneys, allies, and law students with benefits including networking, CLE discounts, job board access, event invitations, and practice-area community participation.
• LGBT Family Law Institute® (FLI) A joint venture with the National Center for LGBTQ+ Rights providing a network for experienced LGBTQ+ family law practitioners, annual meetings at Lavender Law®, email listserv, and specialized CLE programming on topics including family creation, assisted reproductive technology, and LGBTQ youth issues.
• Workplace Inclusion Project (WIP) Programs designed to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion in legal workplaces, including training and resources for law firm and corporate employers.
• Trans in BigLaw Monthly Networking Program Private monthly networking meetings for trans and nonbinary lawyers working in BigLaw, providing community and support for attorneys facing unique professional challenges.
• Law Student Congress Student leadership organization within the LGBTQ+ Bar providing programming, advocacy, and representation for LGBTQ+ law students across the country.
• Job Board Online job board connecting LGBTQ+ legal professionals and law students with employers interested in LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusion.
• Judicial Programs Resources and programming for current and prospective LGBTQ+ judges, including the Judicial Nuts & Bolts Academy and LGBTQ+ Inclusion Guide From the Bench.
• DEI Consulting Practice Diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting services offered to law firms and corporations seeking to improve LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• National Center for LGBTQ+ Rights (NCLR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partnership for the LGBT Family Law Institute® - allows LGBTQ+ family law practitioners to share collective wisdom and discuss cutting-edge legal strategies. FLI founded in 2009, meets annually at Lavender Law Conference with email listserv for year-round communication. Governance shared between National LGBTQ+ Bar Chair Judi O'Kelley and NCLR Chair Ming Wong.
• Law School AffiliatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw School Affiliate Program creating direct pipeline to LGBTQ+ law students. Student groups receive 50% discounted membership rates and access to programming including LEAD Academy, Law Student Congress, and career development resources.
• State & Local Bar AffiliatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of state and local LGBTQ+ bar associations affiliated with national organization. Affiliates receive 50% discounted membership codes for their members and collaborate on programming and advocacy.
• Lavender Law 2026 SponsorsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsors supporting the 2026 Lavender Law Conference in Chicago, IL (July 13-15, 2026). Sponsors demonstrate support for LGBTQ+ diversity in the legal field while engaging with 2,000+ corporate counsel, law students, and legal professionals.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Bar Association: The ABA is the largest U.S. legal professional association with broad membership, CLE programming, and accreditation authority; it overlaps with the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association in serving legal professionals and providing CLE, but operates at vastly greater scale across all identity groups.

Direct peers

• National Bar Association: The National Bar Association is the nation's oldest and largest national network of predominantly African American attorneys and law students, operating as a similarly structured 501(c)(6) professional association with membership dues, annual conventions, affiliate chapters, and practice sections serving a specific identity-based legal community.
• Hispanic National Bar Association: HNBA is a national membership-based 501(c)(6) bar association for Hispanic legal professionals, with tiered membership, an annual convention, law student pipeline programs, and a corporate affiliate structure directly comparable to the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association.
• National Native American Bar Association: NNABA is a national identity-based bar association for Native American attorneys, with comparable structure around membership, conferences, and advocacy — making it a smaller-scale direct analog of the LGBTQ+ Bar Association.
• National Asian Pacific American Bar Association: NAPABA is a 501(c)(6) affinity bar association for Asian Pacific American legal professionals, running a parallel operating model of tiered membership, an annual conference, law school affiliates, practice section groups, and corporate sponsorship.

Others

• National Center for Lesbian Rights: NCLR is a national LGBTQ+ legal advocacy organization and the direct joint-venture partner for the LGBT Family Law Institute; it sits in the same ecosystem and shares governance on the FLI but is mission-aligned rather than a competitive professional association.
• Lambda Legal: Lambda Legal is a national LGBTQ+ civil rights legal organization that conducts impact litigation and advocacy; it is comparable as a partner organization in the LGBTQ+ legal ecosystem and through the joint FLI venture with NCLR, though its mission is litigation rather than member services.

Emerging players

• Out Leadership: Out Leadership is a corporate consulting and executive network advancing LGBTQ+ inclusion in business; it competes with the Association's DEI Consulting Practice for corporate client spend on LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion services.
• Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF): BALIF is one of the largest state/local LGBTQ+ bar affiliates in the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association's network, with its own membership and programming; it represents the affiliate-tier competitive and partner dynamic that the national body must coordinate with at the regional level.

Regional players

• Stonewall (UK): Stonewall is the UK's leading LGBTQ+ rights organization and historically served a similar role to a national LGBTQ+ professional and advocacy body; it is comparable in mission and brand recognition, but operates as a UK-focused charity rather than a U.S. legal professional association.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lgbtqbar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-lgbtq-bar-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/lgbtqbar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National LGBTQ+ Bar Association