Berks County Bar Association

What Berks County Bar Association does

The Berks County Bar Association is a nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1867 and incorporated in 1931, serving licensed attorneys practicing in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Headquartered at 544 Court Street in Reading, adjacent to the county courthouse, the association operates with a small staff of approximately four employees and a roster of 587 active members as of 2020. Its primary constituents are local attorneys seeking professional development, networking, and collegial support, while a secondary audience — community members needing legal help — is served through referral and education programs.

The association's core products span three layers. The transactional layer includes the Lawyer Referral Service, which connects individuals with panel attorneys across practice areas (bankruptcy, family, criminal defense, real estate, workers' compensation, etc.), and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Program, which provides court-endorsed mediation and arbitration at a $1,300 initial fee as an alternative to litigation. The publication layer consists of the weekly Berks County Law Journal — the official publication of record for Berks County legal matters, with hardcopy subscriptions at $75/year and free e-subscription for members — and the quarterly Berks Barrister magazine. The educational layer comprises CLE seminars, the Bench Bar Conference, the Law Day Luncheon, Holiday Benefit Luncheon, Mock Trial, Speakers Bureau, and Stepping Out high-school programs. The Client Referral Program adds an online intake funnel with filtering by practice area, location, and language preference.

Revenue is generated from a mix of recurring and transactional streams: annual membership dues, ADR fees, CLE registration, Law Journal subscriptions, and commercial advertising (tiered from $125/week to $4,600/52 weeks). The business is fundamentally community-led, with member acquisition through the website, events, and outreach, and retention anchored by CLE credits, referral privileges, ADR access, and publications. The organization has no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed funding rounds, and operates exclusively within Berks County without geographic expansion signals.

Name

Berks County Bar Association

Legal name

Berks County Bar Association

Website

https://berksbar.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1867

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Berks County Bar Association is a nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1867, serving approximately 587 active attorneys and community members in Berks County, Pennsylvania through lawyer referrals, ADR programs, CLE seminars, and publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Reading

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from attorneys in Berks County
2. Alternative Dispute Resolution Fees: Mediation and arbitration services with initial cost of $1,300 ($325 administrative fee non-refundable, $975 mediator/arbitrator fee)
3. CLE Seminars and Events: Continuing Legal Education seminars and professional events including Bench Bar Conference, Law Day Luncheon, and Holiday Benefit Luncheon
4. Law Journal Subscriptions: Hardcopy subscription $75/year; free e-subscription for BCBA members. Commercial advertising and legal notices generate additional revenue.
5. Berks Barrister Magazine: Quarterly magazine; free for members
6. Lawyer Referral Service: Referral service connecting individuals with attorneys

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Berks County Bar Association is a nonprofit professional membership organization that serves attorneys in Berks County, Pennsylvania. It provides lawyer referral services connecting the public with panel attorneys, alternative dispute resolution (mediation and arbitration) endorsed by the Berks County Bench, continuing legal education seminars, legal fee dispute resolution, and publications including the weekly Berks County Law Journal and quarterly Berks Barrister magazine.

Product overview

The Berks County Bar Association operates as a professional membership organization offering a portfolio of legal support services. The core offerings include a Lawyer Referral Service connecting clients with attorneys, an Alternative Dispute Resolution Program providing mediation and arbitration as alternatives to litigation, and a Legal Fee Dispute Resolution Committee for resolving attorney-client fee disagreements. Supporting services include downloadable legal resources and FAQs, CLE seminars for attorney continuing education, the weekly Berks County Law Journal publication, the quarterly Berks Barrister magazine, and community education programs including a Speakers Bureau and Mock Trial competitions. The organization also manages a Client Referral Program with online intake forms and contribution programs for community support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) Connects individuals seeking legal assistance with qualified panel attorneys in Berks County across practice areas including bankruptcy, business, civil litigation, criminal defense, employment, family law, real estate, and workers' compensation. Accessible by phone (610-375-4591) or walk-in during business hours.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution Program
• Legal Fee Dispute Resolution Committee
• CLE Seminars
• Berks County Law Journal The official weekly publication of record for legal matters in Berks County, published every Thursday for 52 weeks per year (October 1 through September 30). Contains current local court decisions, court appearance docket information, CLE seminar announcements, and bar association membership news. Hardcopy subscription $75/year; free e-subscription for BCBA members. Commercial advertising and legal notices generate additional revenue.
• Berks Barrister
• Community Education Programs
• Mock Trial Program
• Client Referral Program
• Downloadable Resources and FAQs

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 minor, moderate and core.

• Herbein & CompanyminorOthersAdvertising sponsor/friend of Berks County Bar Association. Logo displayed on website as supporting partner.
• Berks County Community FoundationminorOthersAdvertising sponsor/friend of Berks County Bar Association. Logo displayed on website as supporting partner.
• Tompkins BankminorOthersAdvertising sponsor/friend of Berks County Bar Association. Logo displayed on website as supporting partner.
• Pennsylvania Bar AssociationmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerState bar association partnership; BCBA members participate in PBA committees; joint advocacy on rule of law issues. BCBA joined ABA and 57 bar associations in defending rule of law.
• American Bar AssociationmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational bar association partnership; BCBA joined ABA statement defending rule of law and independent judiciary with 57 other bar associations.
• Law Foundation of Berks CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated charitable foundation; administers grants for youth and legal services programs; co-hosts annual Holiday Benefit Luncheon with PICPA; accepts grant applications for funding cycle.
• PICPA (Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants)moderateGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint hosting of 17th Annual Holiday Benefit Luncheon; combined legal and accounting professional community event.
• MidPenn Legal ServicesminorOthersReferral partner for individuals who cannot afford attorneys; located at 35 N. 6th Street, Mezz. Suite 101, Reading, PA 19601; eligibility: call 1-800-326-9177.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• American Bar Association: National bar association providing CLE, publications, advocacy, and member benefits across the U.S. The broadest incumbent in the legal-professional association space and an active BCBA partner on rule-of-law advocacy.
• Pennsylvania Bar Association: Statewide bar association serving all Pennsylvania attorneys. A broader incumbent that BCBA partners with and whose programs (CLE, advocacy, publications) overlap with BCBA's offerings at a wider geographic scale.

Others

• JAMS: Leading private alternative dispute resolution provider offering mediation and arbitration services. Adjacent to BCBA's ADR program rather than a direct competitor, but represents the professionalized, scaled ADR model against which court-endorsed local ADR programs are benchmarked.

Emerging players

• Avvo: Online legal directory and lawyer referral marketplace. Competes with BCBA's traditional Lawyer Referral Service by offering consumers a digital-first way to find and connect with attorneys, including in the Berks County market.

Direct peers

• Lancaster Bar Association: County bar association serving Lancaster County, Pennsylvania — a neighboring mid-sized county with similar demographic and legal-market profile to Berks County. Closely comparable scale and service mix.
• Philadelphia Bar Association: County-level bar association in Pennsylvania serving Philadelphia attorneys. Operates the same core model — membership dues, CLE, lawyer referral, ADR, publications, and community outreach — but at a much larger scale in an urban market.
• Dauphin County Bar Association: County bar association serving Dauphin County (Harrisburg), Pennsylvania. Comparable single-county scope with member services, CLE, publications, and Lawyer Referral Service offerings.
• Montgomery Bar Association: County bar association serving Montgomery County, Pennsylvania — another southeast-PA county with a comparable suburban legal market and similar professional association model.
• Chester County Bar Association: County bar association serving Chester County, Pennsylvania. Operates member benefits, a lawyer referral service, and community legal education programs structurally similar to BCBA.
• Allegheny County Bar Association: Pennsylvania county bar association serving Pittsburgh-area attorneys. Directly comparable structure with member services, CLE programming, a lawyer referral service, and public legal education programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/berksbar
• Facebookfacebook.com/BerksBar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/berks-county-bar-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/berksbar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Berks County Bar Association