pela
Colorado PELA is a 501(c)(6) non-profit membership association serving Colorado attorneys who represent employees in employment law matters, providing CLE programming, networking, a public attorney directory, and state-level legislative advocacy as an affiliate of NELA.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersDenver, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What pela does
Colorado PELA (Colorado Plaintiff Employment Lawyers Association) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit professional membership association that serves attorneys representing employees in employment law matters across Colorado. Its membership is structured in four tiers: private practice attorneys at $225 per year, government and non-profit attorneys at $125 per year, paralegals and legal support staff at $50 per year, and free student memberships. To join, attorneys certify that 75% or more of their employment law practice represents employees. The organization is an affiliate of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), a national network of 69 state and local affiliates with more than 4,000 members.
Colorado PELA's core offerings are membership services, a public Find a Lawyer directory, the Colorful Colorado Fellowship for diverse law students, and a CLE and events program that includes monthly brown bag lunches, an annual retreat, and holiday parties. The organization also channels 50% of attorney dues into a lobbying fund that supports state-level legislative advocacy for employee rights. Technology infrastructure is minimal: membership management and donations are handled through the Wild Apricot platform.
The business model rests on three recurring or transactional revenue streams: annual membership dues, corporate sponsorships supporting the annual retreat and other activities, and event registration fees. Acquisition is community-led through the website, peer referrals, and in-person events. The geographic footprint is limited to Colorado, with primary operations centered on a Boulder mailing address (5600 Arapahoe Ave., Suite 202) and the website colopela.org. No revenue, headcount, or financial statements are publicly disclosed.
pela firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- pela
- Legal name
- Colorado Plaintiff Employment Lawyers Association
- Website
- https://colopela.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Colorado PELA is a 501(c)(6) non-profit membership association serving Colorado attorneys who represent employees in employment law matters, providing CLE programming, networking, a public attorney directory, and state-level legislative advocacy as an affiliate of NELA.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where pela is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Denver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
pela business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from attorneys, paralegals, law students, and organizational members. Membership year runs from January 1 through December 31. 50% of attorney dues fund lobbying efforts and are not tax deductible.
- Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships to support the annual retreat and other organizational activities.
- Event Registration Fees: Fees for retreats, brown bag presentations, holiday parties, and CLE programming.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Individual Attorney Private Practice |
| Subscription | Annual | Individual Attorney Government and Non-profit |
| Subscription | Annual | Paralegal and Legal Support Staff |
| Freemium | Annual | Student Member |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
pela product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Colorado PELA is a nonprofit professional membership association serving plaintiff-side employment attorneys in Colorado. The organization provides annual memberships with tiered pricing, CLE-accredited educational events, networking opportunities, a Find a Lawyer public directory, the Colorful Colorado Fellowship for emerging attorneys, and legislative advocacy through its lobbying fund. As a NELA affiliate, it connects Colorado members to a national network of employment law practitioners.
Product overview
Colorado PELA (Plaintiff Employment Lawyers Association) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit professional organization that promotes and increases public awareness of employee rights and provides educational opportunities, information, and assistance to attorneys who represent employees in Colorado. The organization offers membership services, a Find a Lawyer search tool for the public, the Colorful Colorado Fellowship program for diverse law students, and hosts educational events including brown bag sessions and annual retreats. PELA also conducts lobbying activities to protect employee rights in Colorado legislation and is an affiliate of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use pela
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
pela technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
pela partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA)coreColorado PELA is a proud affiliate of NELA. NELA was founded in 1985 to provide assistance and support to lawyers in protecting the rights of employees against the greater resources of their employers. NELA is the country's largest professional organization exclusively comprised of lawyers who represent individual employees in employment discrimination cases.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
pela competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA): National umbrella organization of which Colorado PELA is an affiliate. NELA is the largest U.S. professional association exclusively for plaintiff-side employment attorneys, providing the directly comparable membership, CLE, and advocacy model that Colorado PELA operates at the state level.
- California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA): A California state affiliate of NELA serving plaintiff employment attorneys with the same membership, CLE, and advocacy structure as Colorado PELA. It is the closest state-level peer in terms of mission, programming, and member-facing offerings.
- New York State Bar Association - Labor and Employment Law Section: A bar association section providing membership, CLE programming, and networking for employment law practitioners (both plaintiff and defense). Comparable to Colorado PELA's member services, though housed inside a broader bar association.
- National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA): A national professional membership organization for attorneys representing consumers, operating with a similar 501(c)(6) membership, CLE, and advocacy model — but in consumer protection rather than employment law. Functionally analogous in structure and member services.
Broad incumbents
- American Bar Association - Labor and Employment Law Section: National bar association section covering labor and employment law across plaintiff and defense practitioners. Operates at a much larger scale than Colorado PELA and provides overlapping CLE, publications, and member benefits as part of a broader legal portfolio.
- Public Justice: A national public interest law organization that supports plaintiff-side litigation through amicus briefs, advocacy, and resources. It overlaps with Colorado PELA on plaintiff-side employment advocacy and member-facing thought leadership.
- National Employment Law Project (NELP): A worker-side policy and advocacy organization focused on employment law reform. While policy-driven rather than a membership association, it complements Colorado PELA's lobbying agenda and shares an employee-rights orientation.
Regional players
- Colorado Bar Association: The statewide mandatory bar association in Colorado. While it serves all attorneys rather than only plaintiff employment lawyers, it competes for the same local CLE spend, networking attention, and legislative influence as Colorado PELA.
Emerging players
- Workplace Fairness: A nonprofit that provides public information about employee rights and connects workers to attorneys. It operates a public-facing attorney directory similar to Colorado PELA's Find a Lawyer, making it a partial functional peer on the consumer-attorney matching layer.
- National Lawyers Guild: A progressive bar association with member-driven sections covering labor and employment law. Comparable to Colorado PELA in its advocacy orientation and member-supported CLE programming, though with a broader civil liberties mandate.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
pela social profiles
Digital presencepela financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
pela leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
pela funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
pela M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about pela
What does pela do?
Colorado PELA is a nonprofit professional membership association serving plaintiff-side employment attorneys in Colorado. The organization provides annual memberships with tiered pricing, CLE-accredited educational events, networking opportunities, a Find a Lawyer public directory, the Colorful Colorado Fellowship for emerging attorneys, and legislative advocacy through its lobbying fund. As a NELA affiliate, it connects Colorado members to a national network of employment law practitioners.
Is pela a public or private company?
pela is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was pela founded?
pela was founded in 1985.
Where is pela based?
pela is headquartered in Denver, United States, in the North America region.
How does pela make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are sponsorships and event Registration Fees.
Who are pela's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA), New York State Bar Association - Labor and Employment Law Section and National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA). Broad incumbents are American Bar Association - Labor and Employment Law Section, Public Justice and National Employment Law Project (NELP). Colorado Bar Association is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are Workplace Fairness and National Lawyers Guild.
Does pela have an API?
No public API is recorded for pela.