What Is MassBar.org? A Guide to the Massachusetts Bar Association

Updated

MassBar.org is the website of the Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA), a statewide professional organization for lawyers and judges in Massachusetts. It serves two audiences at once: attorneys who join for member benefits, and the public who encounter the MBA through community programs. If you are a Massachusetts lawyer deciding whether membership is worth it, or a member of the public looking for legal resources, the site is organized around those two purposes.

What the MBA actually offers

The homepage groups its activity into a few clear categories:

  • Continuing legal education and conferences — annual events run by MBA sections, such as the 2026 Health Law Conference (in person, Thursday, Oct. 8) and the 35th Annual Family Law Conference at Ocean Edge Resort in Brewster. Note that some events sell out; the Family Law Conference is listed as SOLD OUT.
  • Free member software and research tools — Smokeball Bill (trust accounting and billing software) and Decisis (a legal research database), both described as free for MBA members.
  • Community and pro bono programs — volunteer opportunities including Dial-A-Lawyer and Mock Trial, plus the Innocence Initiative and Conviction Integrity resources.
  • Access-to-justice work — the Chief Justice Ralph Gants Fund for Racial Equity and Access to Justice.

Member benefits worth knowing about

Two benefits carry explicit value figures on the page, which makes them the easiest to evaluate:

Benefit What it is Stated value
Smokeball Bill Trust accounting and billing software for law firms $588 per user/per year, free to members
Decisis Online legal research library Free, unlimited use for members

Beyond those, members get My Bar Access (an online collaboration and networking tool), the eJournal weekly newsletter, and MBA On Demand for recorded content. The "Be-Anywhere Benefits" section emphasizes that many tools are accessible remotely.

For the public

The MBA is not a legal aid clinic, but it does run public-facing programs. Dial-A-Lawyer and Mock Trial are volunteer-driven community service programs, and the Innocence and Conviction Integrity pages collect resources for people involved in those efforts. If you need legal help for a specific matter, the site is a starting point for finding programs rather than a direct service.

How to decide if it's relevant to you

  • Massachusetts attorney: the free Decisis and Smokeball Bill subscriptions alone are the headline benefits; check whether your practice area matches an MBA section that runs conferences you'd attend.
  • Attorney outside Massachusetts: the value is lower, since the research tools and networking are oriented toward the commonwealth.
  • Member of the public: use the site to find volunteer and access-to-justice programs, not as a substitute for legal representation.

The page does not state membership pricing, so check the membership section directly before assuming cost.