The Bureau of National Affairs: Life in the Shadow of the Major Legal Publishers

Author: David Curle, Director & Lead Analyst

The Bureau of National Affairs (BNA) holds a unique position in the legal publishing industry. With total revenues of $352.2 million, $289 million (82%) of which comes from its core publishing operations, it is the largest legal publisher that hasn’t been gobbled up by one of the Big Three legal information players – Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters), Reed Elsevier’s LexisNexis, and Wolters Kluwer. It provides analytical and practice-oriented information to lawyers, accountants, and compliance officers via over 350 separate products. Known more for its editorial prowess than its technological innovation, the company has recently turned a corner with a new delivery platform and new product models that are worth watching. BNA’s unique status as an employee-owned business complicates the long-standing question of whether it can and will remain independent in years to come. This report contains:
- Company highlights, including operational structure, ownership structure, and recent developments;
- A look at what makes BNA unique;
- Details of the competitive landscape for the company;
- Analysis of opportunities and threats facing BNA;
- Essential actions for competitors and other observers of the Legal, Tax & Regulatory space.