For the legal profession

Group email for bar associations and legal networks

One address per list, members-only posting and a private, searchable archive. A modern replacement for the LISTSERV many bar associations started on.

Start free — up to 200 members See Enterprise

Write your list policy. We give you the controls to back it up.

Here is an example policy for a section list, with the Gaggle Mail feature that backs up each clause.

Example · Family Law Section

List Policy

family-law@yourbar.org

  1. §1Only members of the Section may post to the list.

    Members-only posting

    Lists are members-only by default. Mail from anyone else is turned back and never reaches the list.

  2. §2A moderator may review any post before it is delivered.

    Moderation

    Moderate every post, or only posts from the members you choose. Nothing goes out until it is approved.

  3. §3Do not post information that could identify a client, including in a hypothetical, without the client’s informed consent. See ABA Formal Opinion 511.

    Your policy, in every footer

    Put it in the welcome message every new member receives and at the foot of every message. You write both, on any paid plan.

  4. §4Questions you would rather not sign may go to family-law-anon@yourbar.org, which hides every sender’s address.

    Incognito mode

    Turn it on for a second list and every sender’s email address is hidden from the group; members can post under an alias. An Incognito list keeps its archive for admins only.

  5. §5The archive is open to members only. Search it before you ask.

    Private, searchable archive

    There is no public archive setting. Members search by keyword, sender and date.

  6. §6On request, the administrator will remove a post from the archive.

    Remove a post

    Admins can delete a message from the archive. Copies already delivered to inboxes stay there, which is why §3 matters.

Confidentiality

What a listserv can and can't protect

In May 2024 the American Bar Association published Formal Opinion 511, on what lawyers may and may not post to listservs. Here it is in plain English.

  1. Posting about a client’s matter, even to ask colleagues for advice or a referral, can breach the duty of confidentiality under Model Rule 1.6 if readers could work out who the client is or what the matter is, unless the client gives informed consent.

  2. A hypothetical isn’t automatically safe. If a reader could recognize the client or the matter from the facts, it’s a disclosure. Talking about legal news, new decisions or changes in the law is fine, as long as nothing reveals client information.

  3. Listserv messages are not privileged communications. A post to other lawyers isn’t a lawyer–client communication, whichever software carries it.

No list can make that judgment for a lawyer. What an administrator can do is make the rules clear and easy to follow: members-only posting, moderation where it’s needed, a private archive, and the policy in front of every member, as in the example above.

ABA Formal Opinion 511 (May 8, 2024), “Confidentiality Obligations of Lawyers Posting to Listservs.” A plain-English summary, not legal advice: follow your own jurisdiction’s rules and ethics opinions.

Day to day

Built for how lawyers actually use a listserv

A legal listserv carries its own kind of traffic: referral requests, questions about a courtroom, CLE notices and section debates that run for weeks. Here is what each one leans on.

How lawyers use a listserv, with a typical subject line and the feature that helps
On the list Typical subject line What helps
Referrals “Estate-planning attorney in the north county?” The searchable archive: members search before they ask, and the last answer is still there
Courtroom know-how “Has anyone appeared before the new commissioner?” Threads that keep the answers together, and an Incognito list for questions you’d rather not sign
CLE notices “Ethics CLE, Thursday at noon — one credit” Announcement-only lists, where only admins post
Section debate “Comments on the proposed local rules” Daily digests for busy members, and shared labels to sort the threads

Sections, committees and chapters under one roof

One bar association, twenty lists, one bill, one member record. The All Members screen shows everyone across every list, so a change of address or a resignation is handled once. Inherited groups keep the all-members list in step with each section, and every list has its own admins and moderators, so a section chair can run their list without access to anyone else’s. On an unlimited-groups subscription a member on five lists counts once.

Jane Doe, Esq. members@ family-law@ young-lawyers@ ethics-committee@ pro-bono@ = 1 member billed

Works with your membership system

Many bar associations keep their member records in Wild Apricot. The Wild Apricot integration syncs membership levels and member groups into the lists you map them to, once a day, so a lapsed member drops off the list without anyone having to remember. Using MemberClicks, iMIS or something else? Import members from a CSV export, or keep lists in step through the Gaggle Mail API on any paid plan.

Wild Apricot · daily sync CSV import API

From the legal community

“It does exactly what it’s supposed to with little or no work from me. It sounds simple, but that is a rare thing.”
Brenda · Legal Advocacy Network
“From the moment we set it up, it has operated flawlessly, was easy to use and easy to administer.”
Jillian B. · Legal Aid Charity
“The Gaggle Mail site is super user-friendly and in the last three years since we signed up, we haven’t had any glitches or problems.”
Diane Talman · Criminal Lawyer Community Manager
“Outstanding service. Whenever we have a question or face an obstacle someone is there to assist.”
Michael Green · Legal Community Manager

What it costs, and how to pay

Pay by invoice. No sales call.

20% off Standard and Premium for legal aid and other registered nonprofits

120-member committee or Inn of Court chapter

Free

Up to 200 members

1,500-member county bar

$300/month

Premium: list@yourbar.org and your branding

6,000-member state section, twelve lists

Enterprise

$2,400/month, billed annually · purchase orders on net-30 · SSO · SOC 2 report · DPA

Prices are per member, per month, in US dollars. Standard is $0.10 per member for one list, $10 minimum; Premium is $0.20 with your own domain and branding; Enterprise is $0.40, from $349 a month billed annually, with unlimited lists, SSO, our SOC 2 Type 1 report and your security questionnaire answered. Every paid plan can be paid by invoice. See Enterprise pricing

Questions bar associations ask

Are messages on a listserv privileged?
No. Privilege protects confidential communications between a lawyer and a client, and a post to other lawyers on a list is not one. Before posting about a client's matter, follow your jurisdiction's rules and ABA Formal Opinion 511, which says a post that could let readers identify the client or the matter needs the client's informed consent.
Can we restrict posting to members?
Yes. Lists are members-only by default, so nobody outside the list can send to it. You can also moderate every post before it's delivered, or only posts from the members you choose.
Can we run separate lists for sections and committees?
Yes. An Organization holds as many lists as you need, each with its own admins and settings. On an unlimited-groups or Enterprise plan they share one subscription and one invoice, and each person counts once however many lists they're on.
Can members search past discussions?
Yes, once you let members read the archive. It is private to the list, never public, and searchable by keyword, sender and date. Archive search is included on every paid plan.
Can we import from our old LISTSERV?
Yes. Import your subscribers from a CSV export, or let our support team do the whole migration at no charge, members and archive included. Email help@gaggle.email to get started.
Can we pay by invoice or purchase order?
Yes. Every paid plan can be paid by invoice. Enterprise can also be paid by purchase order, on net-30 terms.

Leave the 1990s listserv behind. Keep the archive.

Moving from L-Soft LISTSERV, GNU Mailman or Google Groups takes an afternoon, and our support team will do it for you at no charge, members and archive included. The guides: migrate from LISTSERV and migrate from Mailman.

Start free — up to 200 members Talk to us about a migration