Friday, January 31, 2003 11:29 PM
I have noted with interest the continuing transformation of Martindale-Hubbell. Martindale, of course, faced the classic Encyclopedia-Brittanica question: in a digital information age, how does a paper information company compete?
In years gone by, many of us remember looking up attorneys and law firms in the huge set of Martindale-Hubbell volumes which every reputable law library seemed to have. However, with the onset of the world wide web and online databases, the idea of a paper-based attorney and law firm directory was suddenly outmoded. If Martindale didn't provide an online database, somebody else would.
Fast-forward to 2003 and you will find that Martindale.com offers a robust and efficient database allowing for free attorney and firm searches using a variety of criteria. More interestly, Martindale now also commercially syndicates its attorney directory database to other websites like Dow Jones' StartupJournal.com and TheDeal.com.
Whether such syndication will be profitable in the long-term is an open question. No doubt the value of the Martindale brand will aid the company in any of it online endeavors in the legal sector. Regardless, Martindale is showing true vision in repackaging what is essentially free information (attorney resumes) and turning it into a user-friendly application with commercial possibilities. Keep an eye Martindale--they likely have a lot more in the works.