Legal Research

LinkedIn Adds Martindale-Hubbell Ratings

By Omar Ha-Redeye

LinkedIn has just announced that users can add new sections to their profiles. New boxes will be available for certifications, publications, and even patents, reflecting the broader types of users that LinkedIn has experienced beyond the business and IT communities. For example, I can now add my (American) nuclear medicine technology licenses, and my numerous speaking engagements, important to an aspiring litigator claiming some background in healthcare.

One new section might be of particular interest to lawyers. The Martindale-Hubbell Ratings, which provide scores based on client satisfaction and peer-reviews, are also available as a section feature. The two types of scores cover different types of practice which reflect that the client base for some lawyers tends to be other lawyers.

Displaying the rating allows other LinkedIn users to rate the lawyer right on the site by clicking directly on the profile. The company also states that articles and blogs will be profiled in the future.

Although this Lexis-Nexis product is used far more extensively in the U.S. than in Canada, the integration with LinkedIn could help make it the premeiere rating site for lawyers online.

Full post as published by Slaw.ca on October 19, 2010 (boomark / email).