Southern Trial Lawyers Association Corp.

What Southern Trial Lawyers Association Corp. does

Southern Trial Lawyers Association Corp. (STLA) is a non-profit professional membership association founded in 1988 that serves plaintiff trial lawyers practicing in 13 southern U.S. states. The organization is headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida, and operates with a small staff (1-10 employees) under Executive Director Caroline Wright. Membership is by nomination and requires concurrent membership in the American Association for Justice (AAJ), establishing a defined affiliation dependency that constrains who can join and reinforces STLA's positioning within the national plaintiff-bar ecosystem. STLA does not engage in political fundraising or lobbying on its own, framing itself as a collegial professional network rather than a trade-advocacy body.

STLA's core offerings are two recurring annual events and a peer-recognition awards program. The Mardi Gras Conference is held in New Orleans, and the Fall CLE Seminar — historically held within the southern U.S. — is scheduled for 2026 at Secrets Cap Cana Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, extending the event footprint internationally for the first time. The association also maintains three signature awards: the War Horse Award, the Tommy Malone Award, and the Lighthouse Award. Member-facing assets include a published member directory, an email newsletter, and active social media channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram). STLA additionally runs a President's Donation program directing charitable contributions to nonprofits such as Camp Boggy Creek.

The business model is non-profit and dues-funded. Revenue is generated through individual membership dues, event registration fees, and event-related sponsorship, with no disclosed pricing tiers, enterprise contracts, or product line extensions. Membership is renewed annually with a formal officer rotation cycle (e.g., 2025-2026 President Mark DiBona of Louisiana; 2026-2027 President Adam Richard of Alabama), and the geographic service area is fixed at the 13-state southern region. There is no evidence of expansion into adjacent legal verticals, technology products, or fee-for-service offerings; growth is organic and event-driven.

Name

Southern Trial Lawyers Association Corp.

Legal name

Southern Trial Lawyers Association Corp.

Website

https://southerntriallawyers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Southern Trial Lawyers Association Corp. is a non-profit professional membership association serving plaintiff trial lawyers across 13 southern U.S. states, operating two annual CLE events and a peer-recognition awards program since 1988.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal & Compliance (CLE, Paralegal CE) (EDAAALAB)

Keywords

• Legal professional association
• Continuing legal education
• Trial lawyer membership
• CLE events
• Professional networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Tallahassee

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: STLA generates revenue through annual membership fees from trial lawyers across 13 southern states. The organization is a non-profit professional association.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Southern Trial Lawyers Association Corp. is a nonprofit professional membership association that provides trial lawyers in 13 southern U.S. states with continuing legal education (CLE) programming, networking opportunities, and peer recognition. Its central offerings are an annual Mardi Gras Conference in New Orleans, an annual Fall CLE Seminar, a searchable member directory, and three annual awards (War Horse, Tommy Malone Great American Eagle, and Professor W. McKinley Smiley Jr. Lighthouse). Membership is by nomination and supported through a MemberLeap-powered online portal.

Product overview

Southern Trial Lawyers Association is a professional membership organization for trial lawyers operating across thirteen southern states. The organization offers a unified portfolio of membership services centered around continuing legal education events (the Annual Mardi Gras Conference and Fall CLE Seminar), professional recognition programs (three distinct awards: War Horse Award, Tommy Malone Great American Eagle Award, and Professor W. McKinley Smiley Jr. Lighthouse Award), and charitable initiatives through the President's Donation Program. Members also have access to a searchable directory for networking and referrals. The organization was founded in 1988 and does not engage in political activity or fundraising, focusing instead on fellowship, learning, and networking among its member trial lawyers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• STLA Membership
• Annual Mardi Gras Conference
• Fall CLE Seminar
• Member Directory
• War Horse Award
• Tommy Malone Great American Eagle Award
• Professor W. McKinley Smiley Jr. Lighthouse Award
• President's Donation Program

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• American Association for JusticecoreOthersAAJ is a required membership component for STLA. All STLA members must also be members of AAJ. STLA does not engage in political activity or fundraising, leaving those activities to state trial lawyer associations and AAJ.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Trial Lawyers: Plaintiff-side trial lawyer membership and recognition organization running Top 100 and similar honors lists. Overlaps with STLA in serving plaintiff trial lawyers and offering recognition-driven member value.
• American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA): National membership organization for trial lawyers with a focus on civility and excellence in advocacy. ABOTA shares STLA's emphasis on fellowship, recognition, and continuing legal education among trial lawyers, with a comparable peer-recognition framework.
• National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA): Certification body for trial lawyer specialty credentials. Overlaps with STLA on the professional-credentialing and educational side, addressing the same trial-lawyer audience with similar recognition value.
• Western Trial Lawyers Association: Regional trial lawyer association for western US states. STLA's history explicitly notes it was inspired by this organization and follows the same regional-membership, CLE-driven model, making it the closest direct peer.
• Million Dollar Advocates Forum: Plaintiff trial lawyer recognition organization for attorneys who have secured million- and multi-million-dollar verdicts/settlements. Similar membership-and-recognition model targeting the same plaintiff trial bar as STLA.
• Melvin M. Belli Society: An invitation-only plaintiff trial lawyer society focused on trial skills, mentorship, and CLE programming. Closely comparable to STLA in serving elite plaintiff trial lawyers with CLE, networking, and recognition events.

Broad incumbents

• American Association for Justice (AAJ): The national plaintiff trial lawyer association, of which all STLA members must also be members. AAJ operates at a national scale with broader CLE, advocacy, and lobbying activity, overlapping with STLA's CLE and recognition functions but with significantly larger scope.
• International Academy of Trial Lawyers: Highly selective, invitation-only trial lawyer fellowship limited to 500 plaintiff and 500 defense lawyers. Comparable to STLA in its elite, fellowship-oriented positioning and awards, though broader in geographic scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/SouthernTLA
• Facebookfacebook.com/Southern-Trial-Lawyers-Association-447658058643984
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-trial-lawyers-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Southern Trial Lawyers Association Corp.