Last week we got news that Martindale-Hubbell Connected earned 2nd place in the Law Technology News Awards in the “Collaboration Tools” category. While grateful for the honor, the competitor within me immediately wanted to know who won first place so I could assess their relative strengths and weaknesses and perhaps learn a thing or two. It turns out that first prize went to a software solution that facilitates multi-person document review and collaboration so it wasn’t a straight up competitor to Connected, our professional networking site for legal professionals.
The reason I’m writing today isn’t to pat myself on the back, but without any hesitation I will take a moment to recognize the incredibly dedicated, incredibly hard working team at Martindale-Hubbell who launched Connected in March and who continue to deliver on the promise of making Connected the world’s premier online networking site for legal professionals.
Recognition from organizations like LTN offers a tangible measure of just how far we’ve come in the barely nine months since the commercial launch of Connected. Earlier this fall Connected was also honored by the Society of New Communication Research as one of the year’s best “External Communications & Communities” solutions. Similarly, both Martindale.com and Lawyers.com are finalists in the “Best Online Directory & Business Leads Service” category in the 25th Annual CODiE Awards – offering a clear demonstration that our commitment to innovation and transformation extends beyond just Martindale-Hubbell Connected.
Thank you to all who continue to share your feedback and ideas with us. We rely on that input to inform everything we do and nearly every decision we make. 2009 hasn’t been easy for anyone within the legal industry but we’re finishing strong and looking ahead to greater things in 2010.
Last but not least, I couldn’t end this post without a mention of our Get Connected for a Cause Campaign benefiting the Smile Train. We will make a $5 donation to the Smile Train for every new corporate counsel member who joins Martindale-Hubbell Connected before the end of this year. Additionally, every connection made by a corporate counsel member during the promotional period will garner an additional $1 donation from us. Please send an invitation to every in-house lawyer you know around the world! There is no cost to you and just think, for every 50 new corporate counsel members who join, a child from one of the world’s poorest countries can receive the gift of this life-altering surgery to repair a cleft lip or palate this holiday season.
A few days ago we posted about the Future of the Legal Industry (FOLI) event from last week. The Wall Street Journal has followed up with an article about FOLI called, “Legal Heavies Tackle the First-Year Associate Dilemma.” Writer Ashby Jones gives a good overview of the evening’s events and highlights what he says was the most interesting exchange of the evening, “who should foot the bill for … first and second year associates?”
New lawyers tend to have plenty of academic legal knowledge, but very little understanding of how to practice law. These new lawyers spend the first few years figuring out the practice of law, while clients pay big money to the firm in the form of billable hours. According to some “legal heavies,” his translates into clients paying for on-the-job training.
This issue and others discussed at FOLI came from our research study State of the Legal Industry Survey Findings. BusinessWire.com gives a good summary of the results, noting the gap in perception among corporate counsel and law firm lawyers on things like costs, quality of results, and the future of the industry. Regarding first and second year associate preparedness, the survey found, “the majority of law students (65%) believe that law school teaches students legal theory, but does not teach the practical business skills needed to practice law.” The survey also found that the current state of the legal industry has many students considering career alternatives (54%). Perhaps most striking, “over a third of law students do not feel adequately prepared to succeed in the changing legal marketplace (35%),” and “one in five regret going to law school (21%).”
So what can we do about the training gap?
This question was never fully answered at the FOLI event. It is a debate that has been going on in law schools for years. Should graduates from law schools be required to do a residency similar to that of doctors? Do summer associate positions adequately cover these skills? Do law schools need to change their programs to include more skills based training (an arguement made by David Thomson in Law School 2.0: Legal Education for a Digital Age“)?
Another point, not yet mentioned by our sources above, is that new associates have plenty of resources available to them for quick learning. Online sites like the New Attorney Hub from LexisNexis or the Young Lawyer’s Division of the ABA can provide new associates with a community to share knowledge and get answers. New associates can also join professional networks like Martindale-Hubbell Connected and Linkedin to tap more senior attorneys for information. Do social media resources close the gap at all or can the needed skills only be learned in the trenches?
What do you think? Feel free to leave a comment here, or if you are a member of Connected, join the Future of the Legal Industry group and talk about it there with the “legal heavies” from the FOLI event (existing FOLI group members click here to access the forum discussion).
How often have you heard this one: “I became a lawyer because I hate math”?
Now, I’m a lawyer and don’t particularly hate math. In fact, in college I waited tables and could add up a check and calculate a 20% tip really fast. When counting your tips at the end a hard day on your feet there is another saying that rings true: “the numbers never lie.”
I just checked the Martindale-Hubbell Connected Member Directory. The count at 5:01 pm on Thursday, December 9th was 23,016 members. Quite a climb from just 20 corporate counsel members 1-year ago.
Now, let’s imagine what would happen if each of those members connected with ONE corporate counsel member tomorrow. It would create a wave of giving to our Connected for a Cause campaign, which benefits the Smile Train, an organization that provides free surgeries to children with cleft and palate problems in third-world countries.
From now until the end of the year, we donate $1 for every connection made by or to a corporate counsel member. Meaning: if you send an invitation to a corporate counsel member, and that corporate counsel member accepts it, you both just raised money for the Smile Train. If corporate counsel members connect to each other, there is double payout, (since both made a new connection). But the biggest payoff comes when NEW CORPORATE COUNSEL JOIN CONNECTED.
So how can you help? Make a corporate counsel connection today (include a personal note in the invitation and be authentic). Reach out to any corporate counsel you know who are not already on Connected and encourage them to join. If you are in a corporate legal department, make it a friendly competition to see who from your department is the last to join Connected (that guy or girl has to buy the beer at the holiday party). There are lots of ways for us to help the Smile Train, and they all start by connecting.
Leading product management for martindale.com over the past 2+ years and transforming the site into the web 2.0 world with the Connected community has been a challenging task, to say the least. Today, however, I had one of those days that many product managers (at least the good ones) would say is the most rewarding part of their jobs.
For those not as familiar with roles in the technology world, the job of a product manager is to discover a product that is valuable, useful, and feasible. This is according to Marty Cagan, a former HP, Netscape, and eBay product executive and the leading expert in Silicon Valley on product management. (Read a recent review of his book Inspired: How to Create Products that Customers Love by Alin Wagner-Lahmy.) Doing this successfully is easier said than done. A big mistake that product managers often make is assuming you can stick a bunch of people in a room to come up with a new product or design and call it a day. Wrong! No matter how smart these people are, there is no substitute for taking the product ideas out to real target users and watching their responses. And this is exactly what we went out and did today.
We are currently in the process of redesigning the martindale.com site and one of our main goals is to make the site easier to use and navigate. To get feedback on whether we are on the right track, a large New York City law firm graciously allowed us to come to their offices for the day to test a prototype of the new site with 10 different users. It was a long and exhausting day, but the value we got out of seeing how real users interact with our prototype was immeasurable.
Our work is not done, however. On the web, the work is never really done anyway. We constantly need to test and iterate our product ideas with you as part of our product development processes. So, if you are a professional in the legal industry, I personally invite each and every one of you to participate in a usability testing session. Help us design and shape the future of martindale.com!
Feel free to email me at jonathan.lin@lexisnexis.com to schedule a session or learn more.
Remember that beloved ’80’s movie Back to the Future? It was one of my favorites while growing up, and I always wondered if we would have flying skateboards and cars by the year 2015 just like in the movie. Well the automakers still have 5-years to catch up with that vision, but this reminiscence makes one thing clear: 20-years can go by pretty fast. Perhaps flying cars will be here before we know it.
What about the legal industry? We here at LexisNexis wanted to know what some of the top minds thought about the direction it was heading in and what law firms could do to survive. So on Thursday, December 3, we held a panel discussion called, “Evolution or Revolution: The Future of the Law Firm Business Model” to answer that very question.
Darryl Cross, Vice President of Client Profitability for LexisNexis, moderated a discussion panel with the following participants:
- Richard N. Baer, EVP, general counsel and CAO, Qwest.
- Martin F. Cunniff, partner, Howrey.
- Michael S. Helfer, general counsel and corporate secretary, Citigroup.
- William D. Henderson, professor of law, Indiana University.
- Peter J. Kalis, chairman and global managing partner, K&L Gates.
- Thomas J. Sabatino Jr. EVP and general counsel, Schering-Plough.
- Michael F. Walsh, president and CEO, U.S. legal markets, LexisNexis.
The panelist discussed a range of topics from alternative fee agreements to the readiness of lawyers to practice in the business of law. Like most lawyers, they all had lots to say and range of opinions. Peter Kalis of K&L Gates touted the success of the alternative fee agreement, while Rich Baer of Qwest said they have been a “colossal train wreck for us.”
As for the state of the law firm business model, Tom Sabatino, formerly of Schering-Plough, said that a synergy is needed between in-house legal teams and the law firm. He noted there should never be an “us v. them” mentality. Rich Baer was quick to point out that advances in technology can replace some of the mundane tasks that used to be performed by lawyers at a hefty price tag to companies. This just underscored the next point made by Mike Walsh, CEO of North American Legal Markets for LexisNexis: “change is still needed in the law firm model because fundamental change has not happened yet. Pockets, yes, but they have been slow to adopt real change.”
The panelists also discussed law student preparedness to enter practice, reductions in legal spend, and other topics. Bob Ambrogi, lawyer, writer and “trust agent” kept an incredible Twitter Feed of the entire event, which you can see on his Twitter page. Also, Martindale-Hubbell Connected members who want to discuss the future of the legal industry can join our group in the community (some of the panelists are members and there are resources available in the group – Bob’s Twitter feed is also available for download as a PDF). You can check out another article from the Am Law Daily about the event.
So what will the law firm look like in 2015? Baer says they’ll be smaller and Kallis says they’ll be bigger. Walsh says the core model will have changed and Helfer say they’ll becoming more entrepreneurial . Sabatino says firms will be more transparent and and Cuniff says they’ll become more customized. Will any of the lawyers drive to work in a flying car? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Suzanne Lowe to host discussion on The Future of Law Firm Marketing
Starting today, Suzanne Lowe, author of “The Integration Imperative” and “Marketplace Masters”, will host a discussion in the Legal Marketing (Public) Group on the future of law firm marketing. Suzanne is a thought leader in the area of professional services marketing. She recently published her second book, “The Integration Imperative”, which focuses on the need for law firms and other professional service firms to integrate their marketing and business development functions, both on a staff and attorney (professional) level. Suzanne will post excerpts from her book as well as articles and survey data to encourage discussion on what law firm marketing and business development will look like in 2010 and beyond. Follow and join the discussion inside Connected here.
Suzanne’s website is http://www.expertisemarketing.com and she blogs at http://expertisemarketing.typepad.com
We were looking for a way to engage our community and make an impact. As Connected grew to over 20,000 members it became clear, this network which started a little over a year ago with 20 corporate counsel members had some real power; it was time to put our numbers to good use. Since we had started with corporate counsel, it made sense to go back to our roots with a charitable giving campaign targeted to corporate counsel members. We just needed a cause, and then we found one that made so much sense we had to get onboard.
The Smile Train helps children in some of the world’s poorest countries. They have a single mission: to correct cleft
lip and palate problems in these kids. Prior to surgery these children live difficult lives of isolation and pain. They have little chance of integrating to their social circles, are often kept home from school, and will likely never marry. The saddest part is that cleft lip and palate problems can easily be fixed with a relatively simple procedure. Smile Train helps perform these surgeries, but even more important, they equip and train local doctors in how to perform them. The amazing part is a child can be helped for only $250.
For the rest of the year, Martindale-Hubbell Connected is partnering with the Smile Train to put smiles on the faces of children. Through our Get Connected For a Cause Campaign we will make a $5 donation for every new corporate counsel member who joins the community. Additionally, every connection made by a corporate counsel member during the promotional period will garner an additional $1 donation. Just think, for every 50 new corporate counsel members who join a child can receive a surgery.
We are hosting a webinar on Wednesday, December 2 at 12pm EST to show you practical ways to build your network and maximize your donation to Smile Train through this campaign. Topics to be discussed include:
- Creating a solid profile in 10 minutes to find more connections
- Using community tools to build your network
- Taking your network to the next level with virtual law departments, associations, and think tank groups
Not-yet-Connected Members are welcome to attend. Registration is open for this event and we hope to see you there.
Martindale-Hubbell Connected was recently honored with the Commendation of Excellence Award by the Society for New Communications Research as part of the 2009 SNCR Excellence in New Communications Awards. The Society honors “innovative organizations that are pioneering the use of social media, ICT, mobile media, online communities, and collaborative technologies in the areas of media, marketing, public relations, advertising, entertainment, education, politics, and social initiatives.”
Connected was honored by the judges as one of the year’s best in the “External Communications & Communities” category.
At the risk of sounding like an Oscar winner droning on while the “cut-it-short” music plays in the background, I don’t want to miss this opportunity to thank a few people. Obviously we are grateful to the judges and to SNCR staff who coordinate this awards program every year. I also want to recognize the efforts of Vanessa DiMauro and her team at Leader Networks. Vanessa has worked closely with us since the beginning in developing and executing on a strategy that balances the unique networking needs of the legal community and the goals of the business to create and grow the Connected community in a way that continues to serve all well.
Last but certainly not least, I want to thank the hundreds of lawyers and legal professionals who have provided input and feedback since we first shared our plans to build the world’s premier online network for legal professionals. Connected has grown by leaps and bounds since its official launch earlier this year and we continue to seek outside input as we refine and expand this unique online community in the months and years to come. As always, I encourage readers of this blog to contact me directly with your suggestions, feedback, ideas and criticisms.
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